Wilson Legacy
by Shadow-ying
Summary: Joey Wilson/ Jericho has been taken, causing the Titans to team up with one of their most dreaded enemies. Now they must find their teammate before time run's out. Focus on Joey, Slade and the Titans other DC characters will appear. Rated T for incoming violence,(It is Deathstroke) Now contains some BBRae moments. Please review, feedback is appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Mixing tv series canon with comics. Jericho or Joey Wilson is the 6th member of the Titans.**

* * *

Titans Tower. Night.

* * *

Joey Wilson was having trouble sleeping; it had started roughly two weeks ago where the blond Titan discovered that no matter which way he lay or how many sheep were counted a good night's sleep was not on the cards. Sleep would come in short bursts giving him only two to four hours at best of rest each night before he found himself waking up, unable to return to the land of dreams he so desperately sought.

And while sleep eluded him his mind worked overtime causing him to be plagued by thoughts that he would rather be without. During the day Joey, or Jericho as was his code-name was busy with training, missions, the day to day chaos that came with being a Titan that he was able to ignore his sleep deprivation and the dark whispers in his mind.

But at night, lying alone in bed with only himself to talk to, those thoughts would come creeping out. Joey wasn't sure if it was the thoughts that were preventing him from getting sleep or the lack of sleep was giving him time to explore these unwelcome ideas. Either way he found himself facing a problem he had long since made peace with. Or so he thought.

Deathstroke the Terminator was his father. Joey had known about it for years and recently he had been revealed it to his friends, and while it had caused a rift between him and certain members of the team, Joey had hoped his friends would come to accepted it.

Raven had been the most understanding and Joey could not express how much her support had meant when he had broken the news. Apparently Raven had issues with her own father and had spoken in his defence using herself as an example on not judging one by their parents legacy.

Starfire and Cyborg took some time, but they moved on and within a few days the issue was dropped and life carried on as it once was between them. With Starfire being the ever glowing ray of sunshine that she was and Cyborg returning to his warm older brother attitude. Robin and to a lesser extent Beast Boy were less forgetful and since he had shared the news the leader of the Titans had called him several times into discuss his family.

Rolling onto his side, Joey looked out his bedroom window, normally he would have the sight of the ocean, illuminated by the moon light allowing him to see the waves, but tonight the sky was starless and the moon was not present making the view a black sky meeting an equally dark ocean. Knowing it would do him no good Joey flipped his pillow over, as if the feeling of a new side would somehow help him to return to sleep, sadly the idea had proven useless in the past and tonight was no different. Hitting the mattress in a show of frustration Jericho knew he was in for another long night.

It was during these that an idea carved from his own minds insecurities was born. "You don't belong here." He was the son of a killer, a murderer of hundreds possibly thousands the son of a man credited as the world's most deadly assassin.

For a young man who wanted to devote himself to justice this was a hard thing to carry. The Justice league would soon find out, or possibly already knew if Robin had alerted them to the fact. Every time the Titans had a meeting Joey half expected Batman or another hero to be waiting for him, wanting to have a "chat".

Feeling an uncomfortable sensation snake its way through him, Joey sat up and reached out turning on his bedside table light. The room was bathed in a weak glow that drove some of the darkness away, taking a moment for a few calming breaths. Joey tried to focus on anything else other than the constant jumble of thought running around in his head.

Not wanting to wake up any of his friends Joey searched for a distraction, painting in the dark was out of the question and his work had suffered since he had this crisis of self, music wouldn't help for no matter the genre his mind always found some way to twist it back into the image of his father or his own past. Running his eyes over many different objects in his room, his gaze finally settled on a pair of trainers.

A walk, he decided might help. Throwing of the bed sheets, Joey Wilson quickly stripped of down and slid on some street clothes, it was only when he was lacing his left shoe did the logic strike him that it was two in the morning and perhaps it wasn't exactly the best time for a calming stroll.

Then again, he argued not wanting to remain in his room for much longer, Robin had increased hand to hand combat training recently and if worse came to the worse he always had his communicator.

Reaching down Joey returned to tying his laces, a walk may be just what he needed or at the least allow him a bit of fresh air. Turning off the light Joey navigated through his clean room with ease, slipping the door open, the Titan squeezed out before closing it behind him.

Scrawling a note down on the kitchen counter, informing whoever found it where he had gone for worst case scenario's, Joey slipped on his blue hoodie and made his way out of the tower.

The world around him was still, quiet. While Jump City never truly stopped, in the early morning hours one could be fooled into thinking it had, taking a slow pace across the bridge that connected the Titan's tower to the city, Joey took the time to see the world as it was. With no buildings lit up the city was a mix of grey's, blue and blacks with only street lamps providing the light necessary for Joey to see on his journey.

Slipping his hands into his jacket pockets, Joey arrived in Jump City, taking a left, the blond followed a path that would take him to one of his favourite spots in the world, the beach.

* * *

Jinx was quickly growing bored of the loitering and was hoping that something, meaning anything, would happen to relieve her of her overwhelming boredom. Gizmo, Mammoth and herself would often walk the city at the dead of night, not for any sinister reasons but simply to prove that they could.

There was a great sense of pride when the trio were able to sneak out the hive facility without alerting the headmistress. But like all daring things, the first time is the best, the excitement the adrenaline etc. After the twenty second time it was boring, and the fact that none of the hive crew could decide on what to do with their freedom made the entire act of sneaking out rather pointless.

"Well what do you snot buckets want to do?" Gizmo yelled as he circled his colleagues with his jet pack, Mammoth shrugged his massive shoulders causing Gizmo to grind his teeth together. "You!" He pointed at Jinx who quickly gave him the evil eye, not that the flying villain cared too much. "What should we do?"

"Blow up a school for all I care." Jinx replied, watching as the black ocean slowly grew closer, the trio had been approaching the beach for some time now and unless one of them decided what they were doing odds were they would sit on the beach.

"Can't, draw too much attention."

Jinx shook her head. Perhaps she should be the mature one and suggest they return to the Hive institute, bringing the night to an end. She might have done that had not Mammoth put a giant hand over her and Gizmo's heads, before freeing Gizmo and pointing.

"What the slagging trot is your problem?" Gizmo exclaimed, flying around the giant's head waving his arms in anger. Jinx ignored the spectacle instead following Mammoth's pointing finger to see.

"Guys, Titan!" She hissed getting into a combat stance, Gizmo stopped his angry dance and turned towards the beach, there walking along lost in a world of his own was the blond mute, Jericho. The trio froze watching him, his hands were shoved deep in his pockets, his head was lowered and he appeared not to have seen them.

"We should get him!" Gizmo schemed, rubbing his gloved hands together, imagining the praise he would receive for delivering a member of the Titan's to the Hive academy. Jinx also saw the benefits, it would shake off former failures, raise them back to their former glory days and rob the Titans of a valuable member.

"Okay, trident formation." Jinx ordered, Mammoth and Gizmo nodded and the trio quickly separated and moved towards the unaware Titan.

* * *

The sound of waves washing up against the beach normally would have been quite relaxing under any other circumstance, stopping to sit down on a bench overlooking the empty beach Joey was once again subjected to his minds inner conundrum, he wanted to stay with the Titans, it was his first real group of friends and being a hero was an experience few could match, however, his brain was throwing sand at those pros while developing cons.

Other heroes would not trust him, this was true as Robin was always keeping an eye on him during a battle or when he was alone with another member of the team, it could be months or even years before he proved himself to the boy wonder, and this was someone he considered a friends, would other heroes such as the doom patrol trust him?

If, if Deathstroke reared his head once more in the states and killed suspicious eyes would fall towards him. Joey knew by now that his father's crimes would always find a way back to him no matter what, he was the son of Deathstroke.

Looking down at his feet, Joey began kicking a small stone back and forth wishing that his worries would wash away.

"Joey Wilson."

The blond leapt off of the bench whirling around in a combat stance. A figure stood behind the bench, dressed from head to toe in black, looking like a ninja from one of Beast Boy's many video games, of course this real life incarnation of the famed stealth warriors was not wearing the Hollywood robes but a more modern tactical look. It didn't take a genius to realise this was a bad sign, but what made matter worse was the fact the figure was wearing non reflective googles over their eyes completing the outfit.

Joey could not make eye contact meaning his ability was rendered moot.

Letting his facial expression do the talking for him Joey glared at the figure. Feminine shape although the black clothing did not reveal any noticeable features other than the fact she had a similar body type to those of his teammates, this woman, was not going to be a delicate flower. Beneath those black threads was a body trained for fighting.

With the bench separating them Joey felt he had a small field advantage, however in seconds several other masked figures made themselves known. Joey was outnumbered and unable to use his ability.

"Are you going to come quietly?" The female fighter asked, Joey assumed as she was the one doing all of the talking while her allies remained silent that she was the leader. A simple shake of the head was his response. "Very well, the master does not want him damaged." She instructed. Her fellow ninja nodded and moved in slowly.

Turning Joey flipped over the low rail that separated him from the beach, the second his trainers hit the soft beach sand he began running towards the tower, his left hand digging into his pockets seeking his yellow communicator.

The leader of the group did not give chase, but her underlings did, heart pounding in his chest as the sudden exercise with a lack of rest made Joey unable to outrun his pursuers. Fingers locating his life line, Joey removed the communicator from his pocket, flipped it open and began searching for contacts.

Only Raven was able to read his sign language, clicking her icon on the touch screen, Joey watched as a message was sent and a little t appeared on the screen as he waited for her to pick up.

It was mid step that something wrapped around his left leg, instantly Joey felt his limb lock up, falling face first into the sand, only his father's and Robins training allowed him to roll to the side and avoid face planting.

Unfortunately, his manoeuvre was imperfect due to his tired state and Joey could only watch in horror as the yellow communicator flew out of his hands mid roll landing a few feet away from him.

Joey made to scramble for it but was pinned by two of the ninja, they moved like professional should, both grabbed an arm and pinned it behind his back, then one began binding them together, possibly with the same thing currently wrapped around his leg. Then a white cloth was pressed against his face. Joey knew what was happening but had no way of fighting it.

The chloroform worked its magic in seconds rendering the Titan unconscious. Once this was done, the two who had captured him, climbed of his still form, picked him up, threw him across the larger ninja's shoulders and ran back towards their leader.

The small yellow device was no forgotten about as the second ninja brought its foot down hard on it, shattering the device. It then proceeded to follow its fellows who had gathered around the leader.

"We are ready." The leader announced into a com's device. A few seconds later the sound of a propeller could be heard. A black sleek stealth chopper quickly came into view, the vehicle never even landed, as its rear cargo doors opened the ninja carrying their prize quickly jumped on board. Then rising up the helicopter made its escape into the night leaving almost no one the wiser.

"What, the fraggaslwattle, was that?" Gizmo asked open mouthed. Jinx for all her wit had nothing to add and Mammoth's wide eyes left no doubt as to his confusion on the matter. "Did we just see a Titan napping?"

"Yeah." Jinx finally answered, trying to make sense of it all.

"Should we like tell anyone?" Gizmo wondered, for a moment the trio stood unsure on what to do. Gizmo rubbed his hands together, Mammoth scratched as his head and Jinx tapped her foot as her brain moved a mile per minute, in the end the trio decided the best thing they could do is stay quiet about the matter. If it was brought up then and only then would they divulge information about the kidnapping of Jericho.

"Not like it's our problem anyway." Jinx reasoned.

* * *

 **AN: Please leave a review detailing what you liked, what you thought and if you have any advice or criticism, I am happy to accept all, except flamers. Thank you for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Titans Tower, night.**

* * *

With a moan of annoyance Raven rolled towards the device currently earning her displeasure, it was her communicator. Reaching out an arm she searched for the device through her sense of touch, opening her eyes at this point was just too much effort for the mostly still asleep Titan.

Fingers closing around the communicator, Raven flipped it open, wincing as the bright screen sprung to life, opening her eyes a fraction it took Raven a few seconds for her eyes to adjust, the first thing she saw however was the time. With a groan Raven was tempted to throw the yellow device aside and return to her sleep, if it not for the fact her caller was Jericho.

If there was one Titan with the good sense not to call her in the early hours of the morning it was him, had it been Beast boy the communicator would be tossed out the window, with the green Titan soon joining it without a second thought. Accepting the call, Raven was greeted to a dead line, for a moment she waited thinking it was just a bad connection but quickly realised no one was going to say anything, Jericho's communicator according to her own was not in use.

"Stupid technology." Raven yawned closing the device and returning it to her bedside table.

* * *

 **Helicopter, fleeing Jump City.**

* * *

The leader of the attack, Talia al Ghul, watched the unconscious Joey Wilson be properly restrained. While his hands and legs were secured, it was his eyes that required the most attention, should he manage to make eye contact with any person on board he could turn the tide in seconds. If Joey Wilson ever became like his father he would be a terror to face in combat.

"My lady." A faceless ninja bowed before her, in his hand a small tablet device. "Your father requests an update." Talia nodded, taking the tablet from the man and walked towards the cockpit, once there Talia slipped into the co-pilots empty seat. She then accepted the message.

Ra's al Ghul appeared on the screen sitting in a throne; he hadn't taken a dip in the Lazrus pit in some time and was starting to show the signs with his worn grey hair, and weakened facial muscles. Nether the less the master assassin's eyes shone with power and a youthful drive. He was still every bit the lord and master he had always been.

"Father," She lowered her head in respect.

"I have been informed you are leaving Jump City." Her father said, it was not an accusation or a bait at her actions, her father was above such childish things and wanted only her reason and the truth.

"We have the boy." Talia smiled returning her head upright to look at the screen, her father raised an eyebrow.

"I was under the impression your attack was not for another three days, did something happen?"

"A stroke of good fortune father, he was alone and there were no witnesses. I ordered his capture and am now on my way to personally deliver him to you." Ra's al Ghul did not show any emotional change from the news, at least none that any simpleton would notice but Talia knew her father well. He was pleased with this development.

"Very well, I will see that what you need is available once you arrive." He stopped talking and for a moment Talia thought he was finished but he then added. "You have done well."

The screen then went blank. Talia felt a swell of pride infect her before squashing it down; the mission was not yet complete and while at the moment things were going well, there was an awful lot of miles between her and Gotham City were anything could happen. Slipping the tablet in an overhead compartment, Talia put on a headset and settled herself in for the long trip.

* * *

Raven awoke to the sensation that something was wrong, sitting up in bed she tried to figure out what could cause her to feel this way, she didn't need to do any public speaking, there was no fancy dance party she had been roped into at the mayors request, it was most defiantly not her birthday, leaving her with few options as to why she felt a sense of dread.

Reaching out with her mind Raven scanned the current emotional state of her friends, in case any of their own anxiety was feed-backing into hers. Cyborg and Beast boy were unsurprising rays of sunshine with the occasional blemish of anger or frustration which indicated to Raven the two where likely playing video games with each other, Starfire was still asleep but even then the alien was filled with positive emotions.

Robin, while agitated in some way, was feeling nothing that should be effecting her in such a way. Then there was Jericho. Or rather the lack of Jericho, he wasn't available to read, his mind wasn't in or near the tower.

A flash of memory and Raven turned to her bedside table where her communication's device sat. She could recall Joey had called her last night, or perhaps tried too. Maybe he had left a message that she had simply been to tired to read or even notice. Flipping it open, Raven found nothing.

This was a great reason for her mind to think something was wrong. Rising out of bed, Raven quickly dressed in her standard leotard and cape, then pulling on her boots as she flew from her room she quickly made her way towards Beast Boy and Cyborg, who were at this moment in time playing early morning video games. Managing to slip her boot on just before the main room doors slid open, both males threw her a quick look before returning their eyes to the screen.

"Morning Raven." Cyborg called out in such a warm way Raven wouldn't be surprised if butter melted around him.

"Morning Rae."

"Have either of you seen Jericho?" Raven asked ignoring Beast Boy's refusal to say her name properly, both shook their heads. Before Cyborg suddenly sat up a little.

"Wait, I think there was a note somewhere around their," he briefly removed his right hand from the controller pointing vaguely at the kitchen.

"Thanks." Raven mumbled as the two returned to their world of shooting alien slime monsters. Looking at the fridge, that was covered in month old notes from pizza order receipts to reminds about laundry day, Raven quickly searched for anything new or written in Joey's unique handwriting. When nothing new was apparent she moved her search to the kitchen and quickly discovered the note sitting on the kitchen counter. "It says he went out for a walk."

"That's good. Bit of fresh air, nice bit of exercise. Good to see he's taking care of himself." Cyborg nodded enthusiastically as his fingers raced over the controller in his hand.

"This can't be right; he wrote this in the morning."

"Uh yeah Raven, it's the morning now." Beast Boy chastised shaking his head in mockery.

"At two in the morning?" Raven almost yelled, trying to contain the fear that was creeping through her, Jericho was not in the tower, he hadn't been here since two and last night he had tried to contact her. This was bad. Pausing the game, Cyborg got off the couch and made his way over to her.

"What's this all about?" He asked, noticing the way Raven was on edge. Taking a few calming breaths Raven began to explain the facts. As she did Cyborg and Beast Boy quickly realised her concern. "Are you sure he's not in his room?"

"Yes I told you I can't sense him." Raven hissed. Nodding Cyborg turned to his wrist. The game on the tv was replaced by a blueprint design of the tower. Five bright coloured lights shone inside the towers wall. A few seconds later, the map expanded out showing a satellite image of Jump City. "His communicator is not in the city." The map expanded out further showing the entire state, then once again this time displaying all of America, before finally showing the entire globe. "It's not anywhere. Let me see if I can..." He began tapping a few keys on his wrist.

"What does that mean Cy?" Beast Boy asked glancing at the map then at his friends. "Was he taken by aliens or something?"

"I don't think so." Cyborg said, "I've found his communicators homing beacon, it's damaged but it's still on earth."

"Where is it?" Raven whispered, dreading the answer. The onscreen map zoomed in returning to Jump city, Raven's fear were calmed for a moment as the satellite image zoomed in on Jump City's beach only a twenty minute walk from the tower.

"Raven, you and I am going to go check it out. Beast Boy wake the others and inform them what's happening." The green Titan saluted before turning into a panther and racing up the stairs to Starfire's and Robin's rooms.

Running to the garage the two Titan's climbed inside the T-car, once there seat belts were in place the car raced off towards the beach, Cyborg constantly checking the ping that echoed from the tracking chip onto his on board wrist scanner. In less than three minutes they pulled up to the deserted beach and quickly followed the ever increasing ping.

"Over there." Raven pointed, hovering over to the remains of a broken communications device.

"Aw hell," Cyborg muttered scooping up the fragments of the device. "This is not looking good." Raven looked out over the empty beach, trying to sense any trace of Joey, but it quickly proved to be in vain, any residue was too weak to track. Flipping his own communicator open, Cyborg called the leader of the Titans. "Robin, we have a problem."

* * *

Raven kept silent during the briefing unless she was directly asked something. Facts where important in this type of situation, everyone needed to be on the exact same page with the exact same information, too often people were hurt simply due to not knowing something that a companion decided to keep to themselves.

The problem with this was Raven was hearing the same story she had unraveled with Cyborg over half an hour ago be repeated to Robin, Starfire and Beast Boy who appeared to have skimmed over a few key parts. Hearing in detail how long Jericho had been missing was painful enough but when Robin and Cyborg began calculating how far away he could have been taken by now, Raven almost lost it.

The only ray of sunshine was the broken communicator, in a move that perhaps prevented the Titans tower being damaged by her fluxing emotional state; Cyborg revealed that the communicators carried a record function when calls were made.

"For security purposes." He had explained as he slipped the broken communicators tiny memory core into the main computer of the tower and began working his magic. In seconds he found the footage, that had been taken when Joey had tried to call her last night. "It's not very long." Cyborg announced as the Titans gathered around him even though the screen was over eight feet long.

"How long?" Robin asked, his eyes narrowing.

"About a minute tops." Cyborg hit a key starting the footage. "Here we go."

They watched as Jericho flipped open the lid starting the video, from what little they could see Joey was being chased by ninja's glad in black, one of his attackers began twirling a bola over their head.

Raven could only stare as the weapon was released and struck Joey, he swayed but as he was about to fall, he managed to roll, the camera was then thrown wild, giving them only a shot at the sand and the night sky's darkness until a few seconds later the video died.

"That's it." Cyborg announced, tapping at the keyboard he began bringing up screen shots taken from the video, trying to give a good enough look at the ninja's that had taken him. "Any ideas?"

Raven watched as the room went quiet, for a moment she feared they had hit a dead end, but Robin slowly spoke up.

"I do." Beast Boy let out a sigh of relief and fresh hope shinned in Starfire's eyes as the team focused on their leader. "They, I- uh. If they are who I think they are, then I met them once or twice before. Back in Gotham."

"This is great. It gives us something to work with." Cyborg praised, "All we need is a location or a base and we can begin our search there. Where do we start?"

"Anywhere on earth." Robin grimly replied.

"Dude, anywhere on earth?" beast Boy exclaimed.

"The league of assassins is one of the greatest organisations on the planet, they are centuries old and have bases and refugee's everywhere." Robin explained, giving Beast Boy a hard stare, "if they did take Joey, then they could be anywhere on earth, Russia, China, Antarctica." He sighed in annoyance. "Anywhere."

Cyborg threw his hands up in the air and spun around to face the computer, the rest of the team grew disheartened.

"But you know them." Raven said, trying to keep her cool. "You must know a place where we can start."

"Raven it's not that simple." Robin began, "these guys are some of the best in the world, we can't just wander from A to B and keep fighting them."

"So what?" Cyborg yelled, turning around to face Robin, "we fought Trigon, biggest, baddest dude in the universe. I didn't hear you tell us to give up then."

"That's not what I'm sayin-"

"If you know where to start then tell us, we will go rescue Joey on our own." Raven's eyes narrowed. Robin was never a coward but right now the word was dancing on her tongue. Robin threw her a glare. But the team was in agreement when both Starfire and Beast Boy stood silently alongside their friends, determination burning within them.

"Once we start doing this, we are going to be in trouble. We may be targeted, we will be hunted and we will not be safe even once we get Joey, these people bare grudges." Robin warned, hoping that he was conveying the seriousness of the situation.

"Big. Freaking. Whoop. Now less stalling and more talking." Cyborg demanded.

"Gotham City is our best bet, they used to have a base on the outskirts. From there we might be able to find something."

"Then that is where we are going." Cyborg clapped his hands together. "Alright T-ship's going to take off in thirty minutes, pack your bags cause we are not coming home without Jericho." It wasn't much of a rally cry, but the message was on point.

Both Starfire and Beast Boy ran out of the room towards their respective bedrooms, while Cyborg Raven and Robin lingered for a few minutes. Avoiding eye contact with either Titan, Cyborg quickly began programming the security systems in an effort to keep the tower safe while they were away. After a few seconds of silence Raven flew off to her bedroom, needing only to pack a few changes of clothes.

"You do not know who we are going up against." Cyborg sighed and turned around to face his leader, who was already leaving. Giving a quick huff, Cyborg returned to his work.

* * *

28 minutes later.

* * *

Raven sat in her seat, waiting for Cyborg to input the final code into the main computer that would lock the tower and its systems down until their return. Knowing there wasn't much she could do to contribute to the process she patiently waited, preparing her mind for a long meditation session once they were in the air.

"Guys, I'm going to need some quiet time so I am shutting of my radio chatter." She informed the team via her headset.

"Aww." Beast Boy moaned in annoyance, Raven wasn't sure if he was faking or not.

"It's cool Raven." Cyborg said, flicking a switch that began brought the ship's powerful engines to life. "T-ship launch in five seconds. Four. Three.

Raven checked her strap, finding it locked in place before closing her eyes. "Two. One." The engines exploded into life making Raven wince as the ship shot into the sky with a powerful roar of flames. "We have lift off!" Cyborg announced to the well aware team as the ship was moved into a straight flight path. "Raven go ahead and disconnect now, it's going to be a long drive."

Nodding to no one in particular, Raven shut of the radio chatter and removed her headset, closing her side of the ship off from the chatter of the others. Taking in a calm breath Raven felt her mind sinking into a relaxed state, one freed from the cloudy thoughts emotions brought.

"Azarath metrion zinthos" she whispered, separating herself from the world. "Azarath metrion zinthos"

* * *

Detroit. Evening

* * *

Slade Wilson sat atop of a tall building watching a man through the scope of a sniper rifle, pretty standard night.

Walking down the crowded street without a care in the world, Slade watched him, granting him a few more seconds of life. Tonight's target was a special job, he wasn't the leader of a human trafficking ring, he didn't sell secrets to a foreign nation and he wasn't responsible for the wave of venom hitting the criminal underworld.

The man Slade was eyeing was a priest.

Not the kind that touched kids or took a ten percent cut of god's earnings. This man was a priest of another being entirely, while he wore a crucifix around his neck, the being the priest worshipped was not the man who had been stung up on a cross to die for humanities sins, instead it was a four eyed demon spawned in one of the universe's darker moments.

Having no desire to ever again allow Trigon passage to earth, Slade had been keeping an eye on the church of Trigon's activates, thus far they hadn't made any moves against Raven and the other titans, but that didn't mean their hands weren't red with blood.

Squeezing the trigger the bullet flew through the air, a second later the man's skull was popped like a ripe melon, a scream, followed by panicked cries and plenty of chaos as people began reacting to the murder that just took place in front of them.

Slade however had no time to admire his handy work, in seconds he was racing across the rooftops. Once he was four blocks away the assassin threw the rifle into a dumpster down an ally, it would never be traced back to him, it was a dime a dozen model with no fingerprints and its last known owner was a fellow in Australia twenty years dead. Following the gun, Slade landed like a cat, straightening himself up, the assassin closed the lid on the dumpster before readjusting his jacket.

Slipping out of the ally was a man nobody would look twice at, instead of white hair there was black, instead of an eyepatch there was a pair of matching blue ones, although if someone did take a minute or two to study them they might notice something off about one of those eyes, but no one paid any attention to the man, instead bystanders were running towards the commotion, a few blocks away, encouraging random strangers to come take a look at something that they themselves hadn't yet seen.

"Slade?" A voice in his ear asked.

"It's done." Deathstroke replied, slipping his hands in his jacket pockets as a siren reached his ears. "I'll-"

"I'm afraid I have some rather troubling news." Wintergreen said, cutting him off, the tone of the man's voice caused Slade to worry far more than the words he had used. Wintergreen was perhaps Slade Wilson's only true friend in the world. To say he actually cared about the assassins interests would be an understatement, Wintergreen was a part of the family. Not that Slade actually had a proper family arrangement "Joey has been kidnapped."

Wintergreen winced when he said those words aloud. He waited a few seconds, expecting something, anything. Instead there was silence.

"Several hours ago, the T-ship left Jump city. I began looking into all radio transmission to and from the tower and found Joey's communicator is offline. After that-"

"Who?" Slade growled, he was walking faster now with a purpose, making his way through the streets towards a getaway car, courtesy of Red Fury.

"The league of assassins." Slade didn't say anything, worrying Wintergreen more. "I am already booking you a flight to Gotham City, if I am right the Titans are either going to see Wayne or-"

"Or the rat nest the league built there to spy on Wayne." Slade growled. He reached the car, pulled open the rear door and slipped in the backseat before the drive had even managed to get out. Clearing his throat the C.I.A agent, turned to face his passenger and almost whimpered at the glare Slade threw him. "Airport." He demanded.

"Red Fury requested that w-"

"Airport. Now." Slade barked. The agent jumped in fright, turned around and started the cars engine. As the vehicle raced towards its destination, Slade began losing himself in his thoughts, fear was clouding his mind as memories of the past, and possible future outcomes taunted him. Joey had been taken, where had the Titans been? Why had the League taken action against him and his kin? Were they hired by a outside party or was Ra's baiting a trap?

Deathstroke quickly decided these questions were irreverent, the answers would be revealed in time. For now he had a target and a mission and no matter who in the end was responsible Slade would save his son, he would not fail this time.

* * *

 **AN: Thank you for reading, if you enjoyed this chapter please leave a review telling me what you liked, how I can improve or if there were any mistakes I can fix to make it better.**

 **A big warm shout out to everyone who reviewed, I want to thank you as reviews always make me feel better and lets me know my work is enjoyed.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**League of Assassin's base, Gotham.**

* * *

The first thing Joey noticed when waking up was how dry his mouth was, the numbness of his body soon followed then the fact he was blind but for now the thing that bothered him most was the itching feeling inside of his mouth. Bound to a chair, he was unable to leave.

Flexing his hands, slowly working his finger awake after his long nap, Joey began using his father training.

Robin wouldn't have been too impressed to hear him call it that, but the simple matter was Slade had been teaching him survival skills since he was seven years old, Robin while a talented leader and great enthusiast in such training, really hadn't shown him anything new in the time they had spent together.

His eyes were covered, but his ears and nose were more than enough to paint a picture of where he was. Fuel, diesel if he had to take a guess, smothered the place in its smell. Unfortunately the smell was so strong it masked any and all other scents, right now Joey could be in a warehouse of the stuff if it wasn't for the noise saying otherwise.

Clanking of metal on metal, the sound of a wielding touch and the groan of cranes as they moved around him, where ever he was, it was full of activity, then he heard footsteps, strong, purpose filled, someone with authority.

Turning his face towards the approaching person Joey's ears strained to hear them over the endless commotion that must have been happening around him. All at once it stopped, as if time had been paused as all sound simply ceased. No more clanging and banging, no more grinding sounds, everything stopped.

"Comfortable Mr. Wilson?" A voice asked, a female voice. Joey was ashamed to say it made him jump as the owner of the voice had managed to slink right up beside him and he hadn't even noticed.

Trying to regain some footing, Joey shook his head in defiance before relaxing, the woman who had spoken to him, lingered. Joey could feel her breath tingling against his ear.

"A shame, but unfortunately we cannot offer you any comforts due to your condition." Talia explained, she then rose to her proper height, the sound of clothes shifting as her pose changed slightly allowed Joey to try and mentally picture her position. She then walked behind him, a hand momentarily brushing his hair, causing him to flinch.

"I imagine you must be quiet thirsty by now." Joey wasn't sure if it was a statement or a question either way he did not react. If he said yes, it could be interrupted as a weakness and used against him, if he said no he could be passing up a solution to the ever growing itch inside of his mouth. Just thinking about a glass of water made Joey want to wet hip lips with his tongue. "Mr. Wilson you need not worry about me trying to poison you. If I had wanted you dead it would be done by now and your body long since taken care of." Talia paused allowing Joey to see the truth behind her words. "You are requested in excellent condition and if it were not for your father's and teammates training I would have no issue with releasing you from you bonds."

Joey mulled it over for a few seconds. He wasn't in any position to escape, he was sure his captors would have seen to that if they were as insightful as they let on. Nodding he hoped they would understand him.

A few seconds later a cold metal flask was pressed against his lips, opening his mouth, the container was slowly raised allowing the refreshing cool liquid to flood down his throat. Had he been the one to hold the flash he would probably have tried to drink the entire thing at once.

But his captors instead kept a slow but steady rate of liquid coming until the flask was removed abruptly. Swallowing his last mouthful Joey relished the feeling.

"Mr. Wilson we shall be leaving shortly, but if there is anything you should need give a sign. I am leaving you in the most capable hands."

Then she was gone, and all of a sudden the entire world came back to life as the noise from earlier returned in force. Focusing his mind Joey realised the predicament he was in, he had been taken so odds where he was no longer in Jump City, but even if he was he was about to be moved somewhere else and from the way his captor had said it Joey pictured them not just leaving the current city but quiet possibly the country.

He could only pray that the Titans were closing in.

* * *

 **League of Assassin's base, Gotham. Outside.**

* * *

The League of assassins base was exactly eight miles outside of Gotham, housed inside of a small mountain, this proved the base extra protection but also a veil which few would ever see through. Inside the city limits it would have been near impossible to bring in materials and equipment to house and build the base, but in the mountain the elements alone ensured isolation and privacy.

With the base built and no one the wiser the League had thought themselves safe with a set up only a few miles away from the home of one of their greatest obstacles. But secrets were hard to keep in this day and age.

Raven was unable to "see" through the thick mountain walls housing the base. Joey could be in there or not, an army of screaming apes in tutus could be waiting for them for all she knew. Opening her eyes Raven turned to face her friends and shook her head.

"Okay guys. Plan B." Robin said, squatting down the leader of the team began drawing a map out in the snow. It was not the white powdery type you see in postcards or in resorts it was greyish and felt extra cold to the touch, the perfect type of snow for a city like Gotham. "Raven and I shall infiltrate the rear entrance, we can get inside and scope out the place. If we're lucky they would have brought Joey here. If not we can still access files that might give us a place to search next."

"So what the heck are we supposed to do?" Cyborg hissed, resisting the urge to yell. Robin narrowed his eyes.

"You three shall wait by the front entrance, if anything goes south we're going to need an exit and a frontal assault might be the best distraction to give us the window we need." Robin explained drawing crude symbols of his friends in the snow showing their positioning. "Any questions?"

"Yeah." Beast Boy said throwing up his hand as if he were in classroom. "Why don't I infiltrate the secret base, they'll never even know I was there."

"Can you hack a high security computer with programs that will delete all information and self-destruct the drives should you fail?" Robin asked. Beast Boy lowered his hand with a look of defeat. "It's not the best plan but we don't have time to come up with a better one or call in any other Titans. We're here and we can do this."

With the short debriefing at an end Robin turned to Raven who was taking slow, relaxing breaths. Teleporting was an energy sapper. Worse was not knowing where she was going and while her powers would never do anything as dangerous as let her appear inside an object or worse a person but the idea of teleporting in blind could be seen as similar to stepping into a dark room you never knew what might happen.

"I'm ready." Raven said, her shadow swallowing both herself and Robin in a tent of darkness. "Azarath metrion zinthos."

The duo vanished leaving Cyborg, Starfire and Beast Boy to sit and wait.

* * *

The darkness return to Raven, slipping under her cloak as she and Robin took in their surroundings. They had arrived in what seemed to be hallway cross road, in four directions where four different pathways that could take them anywhere.

Closing her eyes Raven reached out with her mind and sought out people. The number of them in the base surprised her, instead of a large army as Robin had lead them to believe there could be no more than thirty or so souls currently in the facility.

Ignoring the wavering emotional states of strangers Raven was quickly able to sense a bright spot among the horde of strangers. Joey, alive and well with very little in the way of trauma, feeling her energy starting to sap Raven opened her eyes, ending the search, feeling her knees grow weak she reached out for Robin who quickly offered her support as Raven relied what she had discovered.

"He's here, Joey is here and he's alright." Robin smiled, for the first time since this whole ordeal had started.

"Raven you wait here and get some rest, I'll-" Raven stopped the leader of the Titans with a look and pulled herself up under her own power. Robin wasn't convinced. "Raven you've just done two piece of magic in quick succession. It's okay for you to take a breather."

"I'll do it once we get Joey back." Raven answered as she walked down one of the pathways. With no clue on where his friend was being held Robin had no choice but to follow her as they silently made their way through the base's maze of corridors.

With Raven leading the way they were able to avoid any confrontation, Robin wasn't sure if he liked this approach. On the one hand silently taking out any aid that may come to fight later was a good way of weakening an opponent's forces, on the other hand how long could they go undetected in a League of Assassin's base clobbering any foot soldier they come across?

Raven came to a stop as a wave of noisy activity reached her ears, Robin waited a few seconds trying to identify the individual sounds in a sea of noise.

"Sounds like Cyborg's workshop." He muttered. Raven nodded in agreement. "Let's check it out."

Reaching a hatch door, Robin quickly opened it, allowed himself and Raven to slip through before closing the door in total silence. Not that it would have made much difference if he had chosen to slam the thing as the noise increased tenfold once they were in the room as the two titans found themselves on a walkway overlooking a hanger.

Ducking down the duo quickly moved towards the shadows, watching with interest as most of the leagues members appeared to be hard at work on many different tasks, some were loading and moving large crates via crane, others were working on what looked like parts for power armour.

"That might be their ticket out of here." Robin whispered pointing towards a large stealth helicopter currently being refuelled and prepped for flight. "We have to find Joey."

Closing her eyes, Raven once again opened her mind to those around her, in less than a second she discovered Joey. He was in the hanger with them.

* * *

Outside the base, Cyborg, Beast Boy and Starfire were less than impressed. It had been well over fifteen minutes since their friends had gone on their stealth tour and not so much as a peep. While the Titans where not new at this type of mission, stress and worry were starting to play on their minds.

"What if they've been caught?" Beast Boy whispered, eyeing the large door kept under watch by at least five ninja.

"I don't think they have." Cyborg murmured but in truth he wasn't even sure he believed himself, Robin and Raven were the best guys for the job but going in blind was a recipe for disaster.

"Should we launch an attack?" Starfire asked, also eyeing the large titanium door, if needed Starfire could find five different ways to get past such an obstacle, but she would never sacrifice her friend's advantage just to prove this fact.

"Let's give them…" Cyborg brought up a digital clock on his wrist. "Another eight minutes, okay?" The Titans nodded in agreement and watched as the timer slowly counted down.

* * *

Robin crept up behind the ninja as the black clad warrior stood guard over the stealth helicopter; grip tightening on his bo staff Robin made the swing. One moment the ninja stood tall, the next he fell as the metal pole struck the side of his head.

It wasn't graceful, it wasn't stylish but it was effective. Placing his knee down on the ninja's throat Robin waited a few seconds as the man's futile struggles lessened before he slipped into unconsciousness.

Climbing off the ninja Robin moved towards the now vacant helicopter, while Raven dealt with the fallen guard. Climbing inside Robin planned to ensure that even if the worst came to the worst the vehicle could not escape.

Raven meanwhile kept watch, the moment they had acted the Titans had started a universal timer, sooner or later someone was going to notice the missing man's absence. Once this happened it would not be long before the league got into high alert making finding Joey a far greater challenge.

Placing a tracer under the seat of the main pilot Robin climbed out and gave Raven a silent thumbs up. Taking cover behind several weapons crates, the two planned their next step.

"Do you know where Joey is?"

"He's at the other end of the hanger, by the shipping containers." Raven explained as Robin risked a quick peek seeing a dozen or so people working on or around their target. None of them looked especially tough, they could finish this now, grab Joey and leave all without creating any noise. "Okay, let's go ready?"

"Robin are you sure? We could call in the others."

"Trust me." He said his heart pounding as he prepared to move. "On three, one, two, three!"

Running out from behind the crates, Robin's hands flew to his belt, pulling out two smoke disks, he had thrown them at his targets before they even knew he was there.

The disks exploded, blinding the league of assassin's men to the heroes' assault. Launching himself into a kick, the boy wonder slammed his foot into the gut of the first ninja driving a struggling groan from his foe, before Robin leaped towards his next target.

Raven moved like a phantom flying through the smoke, she didn't need Robin's years of training to see through the smokescreen, her powers allowed her to pinpoint an individual even in a pitch black room. Picking three ninja's up in a black aura hold, Raven mentally threw them across the hanger watching as they landed, groaned but remained down.

Knowing Robin was more than capable of handling the last two by himself Raven moved towards Joey, whose emotional state was a storm of fears and hopes battling for dominance. Gliding towards him Raven reached out for his silhouette partially hidden thanks to the smoke. Then almost at once she felt herself get tapped several times.

Raven stopped in her tracks, looking down at her chest and lower torso with confusion, then her eyelids grew heavy. The last thing Raven was able to sense as she slowly sunk to the floor was a new presence that had managed to hide from her, Raven tried to warn Robin but her final act was little more than a mumble before her head hit the floor.

Ducking under the blowtorch the last ninja was wielding, Robin struck out with his leg, striking his opponents kneecap, as the ninja dropped the tool in a gasp of pain, Robin pulled back his leg only to drive into the ninja's chest.

Watching him fall Robin, stood up and dusted his hands, yes they had caused more noise than he would have liked but as no alarms were blaring Robin assumed they had gotten away with it.

"Raven we good?" He asked as the smoke began to disperse. Turning Robin felt a cold chill race down his spine, putting the leader of the Titans on edge. "Raven?"

A second later his teammate was sent hurtling towards him, trying to catch her or at least cushion her fall with his own body, Robin dove for her before skidded to a stop, Raven's limp body in his arms. A wave of panic overcame him, as his shaking hand reached for her neck. There was a pulse, weak but it was there. Lowering Raven genteelly onto the floor Robin reached for his belt, pulling out two birdrangs. Narrowing his eyes the leader of the Titans watched as a figure slowly approached through the quickly fading smoke.

When she emerged from the thin veil of cover, Robin felt a shudder, it was different from the one from earlier, there was no icy touch to this sensation. Instead his body felt heavier now, as if his feet were glued to the floor trapping him in place.

Before him stood a woman he had seen only once, a few years ago in Gotham, he had been younger then. Only a year or so into the hero business, back when it had been all fun and games. Good guys and bad guys, capes and cowls and while there would be a few close shaves in the end the heroes would always emerge triumphant.

Until the day he had met her, it wasn't the first time he had fought the League of assassins. As usual capes were winning, beating down the "bad guys" with ease and then she had appeared and started moving. In seconds Robin was a prisoner in his own body, powerless, trapped, left to watch his mentor get dismantled as easily as they had done to the ninja only a few seconds ago.

She had not killed them, only because she had been ordered not to. That was the first night Robin had ever truly lost and it was one he would never forget.

Her name was Lady Shiva and she was quite possibly the greatest martial arts practitioner in the world.

* * *

"Four minutes and counting." Cyborg announced even though all eyes were on the digital clock as it continued to count down. "Three minutes and fifty six seconds."

* * *

"Why do you want Joey?" Robin demanded, Shiva did not reply. "Answer me," he yelled, once again he earned no reaction from the woman. Stalling for time Robin began circling her moving away from Raven, Shiva's head slowly followed him, reminding Robin of how a snake would track its prey.

He was terrified truth be told. If she wanted she could have snapped Raven's neck, instead she had spared her life. When an enemy has the power to kill you but decides to toy with you, it quickly put things into perspective.

"What does Ra's want with Joey?" Robin tried once more, but again Shiva remained silent. Pulling back his arm Robin threw the first of his birdrangs at the assassin, the second quickly followed, the two weapons sliced through the air towards the deadly assassin, but just as he was sure they would hit, Shiva moved.

The first rang shattered as her fist collided with it; the second was plucked out of the air. Twirling it in her hand she watched as Robin stood mouth wide open. For a second she toyed with it, examining the weapon whilst testing its weight and genteelly throwing it up then allowing it to fall back into her waiting hand.

"Mr. Wilson is no longer your concern." She finally spoke but Robin didn't feel any better for it.

Then the rang was sent flying back towards him, rolling to the right Robin heard the whistle as one of the weapons flew an inch or so above his head. But the moment he moved Shiva did too, Robin could only watch as in horror as within a second she had closed any gap that once existed between them as her left hand collided with his unprotected ribs.

He was screaming before the pain had even reached his brain, collapsing to the ground as Robin clutched at his side, trying to examine the injury all while he fought to keep conscious. A rib had been broken with another quite close to joining it, assessing the damage as he took deep gasping breaths while battling against the pain, Robin tried to stand.

Shiva quickly prevented that, as the boy wonder tried to pull himself up on a shaking leg she swiftly kicked it out from underneath him, Robin fell landing on the side with his broken rib. Another scream was torn from his mouth, his body racked with pain; Robin could tell he was losing the fight to stay awake, as his vision began to blacken the last thing he saw was Shiva step over him, her voice ringing in his ears, even if he couldn't understand the words.

Blinking, feeling his eyelids grow heavy Robin saw two black clad warriors walk past him. He tried to reach out for them but right now he wasn't even sure if he could flex a finger, let alone stop them. One of them stopped, standing over him, their foot pressing down on Robin's shoulder, the boy wonder watched as the ninja pulled back his arm, Robin knew what was coming but he didn't really have any idea how he could stop it.

A second later the lights went out.

* * *

 **AN: Thank you all once again for reading, I decided to stack the odds a little in the LOA favour by introducing Shiva now. She will not constantly clash with the heroes but will defiantly keep them on their toes.**

 **Another big thank you to all those who reviewed it means a lot to me and really gets me fired up and ready to write more. I read and reply to everyone who leaves a review and hope to continue getting feedback with this chapter.**

 **Next time: Deathstroke vs. Titans! (Let me know if you like me giving a hint tabout the next chapter or not I know some people value anticipation others surprise.)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Gotham safe house.**

* * *

Sliding down his mask Slade took a moment to examine himself in the mirror feeling a strange sense of deja vu. He had been here once before, many years ago with Joey's life in the balance, that night he had failed; it was also the night he had lost his families respect and love. It would be easy to swear that this time would be different, that he would save his son and bring him home safely, unharmed, but life was not so simple. Not for a man like Deathstroke the Terminator.

Suddenly not liking the face that stared back at him through the mirror Slade turned away and approached the man who had smuggled his equipment into Gotham city.

"Your u-usual." Squirrel said, presenting to Slade his power staff. Taking it from the red haired man Deathstroke gave it an experimental twirl. The weapon was near weightless in his hand, but thanks to the metal it was made of and the many features built in by Squirrel it was far from harmless. Giving a nod of approval to the brilliant weapon's master, Slade watched as Squirrel presented to him a case. "I thin-k you are fam-miliar with these." He said unlocking the case and raising the lid up, presenting the contents.

Reaching in Slade picked up one of the pistols, feeling the weapons weight in his hand. "You did mention y-you might run into the T-titans." Squirrel pointed out. As the master assassin checked down the line of sight.

Bullets could easily kill three of the Titans if you shot them enough, but Starfire and Cyborg were not so easily dealt with. Tamaraneans's could take a grenade to the face and the best result you could hope for is they get something in their eye. Volt guns delivered a power burst of energy that while not lethal to the tough alien race could stop them in their tracks… sometimes.

Sliding the duel weapons into his holsters, Slade silently accepted the final gifts, a sword and a healthy mix of exploding, smoke and combustible discs.

"Any news on the T-ship?" Deathstroke asked, causing Squirrel to pause as he began packing up his wares.

Located in a castle in Scotland, Wintergreen was surrounded by some of the best surveillance technology in the world serving as Slade's ever faithful eye in the sky

"No, it's still parked with no signs of activity. My guess is the Titans must have made a move by now." Wintergreen replied. His finger racing across one of several keyboards in front of him.

"Robin never was one to sit around and wait." Offering his hand to the red headed inventor, Slade gave him a quick shake, before pulling away. "Wintergreen, see Squirrel gets his money."

"Already done."

"I should arrive in about twenty minutes at the objective." Slade said, turning his back on Squirrel and headed towards the back door where his ride would be waiting. Objective, that's what it was really. A base filled with faceless people that Deathstroke would never deal with again, if he was lucky his son would there and perhaps already safe. If not then he would just do as the mission dictated and use any means necessary to find Joey.

"Slade." Wintergreen hesitated for a moment, as Deathstroke climbed inside the car. "Bring him home."

Deathstroke didn't say anything as he ignited the car's engine.

* * *

 ***Five minutes earlier.***

 **League of Assassin's base, Gotham. Outside.**

* * *

"Titans! Go!" Cyborg barked as his right arm transformed into a sonic cannon. The ninja who stood watch outside the base's main entrance knew that they would be encountering the rest of the Titans, but being told to expect an attack is very different from actually being attacked.

No one is really prepared for a Sabre-tooth tiger, a machine man and an orange invulnerable alien to charge out of nowhere all metaphorical guns blazing.

Before the five ninja even had time to move they were engaged. Cyborg's sonic shots made quick work of his two targets. Starfire, whilst holding back to ensure no fatalities, threw one of the ninja at his fellow while Beast Boy pounced upon the final ninja as he tried to draw his weapon.

In less than ten seconds the front door was now in the Titans control.

"Star." Cyborg asked, not that he really needed to. As the was already making her way towards their first obstacle.

Pulling back her fist Starfire let out a yell as the titanium doors shuddered under the blow. From inside the base, the last remaining foot soldiers were sent to confront the attacking Titans. A distraction, but the best way to distract anyone was to try and kill them.

Throwing punch after punch at the reinforced titanium Starfire knew that it would only be a matter of time as the door's metal began caving under her fists. Digging her hands into the metal, Starfire took a second to breathe before she pulled. The titanium came apart like tinfoil, tearing apart in her hands leaving a sizeable hole in the once flawless door.

Immediately Starfire was peppered with bullets, and while they stung none of them had any real chance of causing permanent damage. Eye's igniting with green energy, she blasted back her attackers in quick succession, many falling unconscious before they even hit the floor.

With their resistance either down or retreating for a better holding point, Starfire entered the base with Cyborg and Beast boy quickly following.

"Their communicator's signals are this way." Cyborg said, glancing at his left wrist scanner showing two echo's straight ahead.

Fighting through the remaining League guards was tedious at best. In close quarters none could hope to match Starfire or Cyborg's raw power and the ever shifting forms of Beast Boy threw off even the best trained combatant.

"Guys! Dead ahead." Cyborg yelled, pointing towards two large doors down a hall way. Ignoring the cry as another man was tossed aside by Starfire, Cyborg charged towards the signal of his friends. Setting his sonic cannon to maximum, the machine man threw himself at the door.

Bursting through them Cyborg brought himself into a roll, before settling into a kneeling position. Weapon raised and ready to fire, the Titan found himself alone in what appeared to be a main area of the base. Looking around Cyborg quickly noticed the roof, or rather lack of.

"Hanger doors?" He asked to no one in particular, as he eyed the huge doorway built into the roof above him. A few seconds later he was joined by Starfire and Beast Boy. Moving to join their friend the trio all looked up at the night sky presented through the now revealed secret entrance.

"Do you think they escaped?" Beast Boy asked.

"I don't know grass stain." Cyborg said, tearing his sight away from the roof and began looking around the hanger, checking his wrist scanner. "Robin and Raven's signals are defiantly close."

"Dudes!" Spinning on his heels, Cyborg's sonic cannon hummed with energy as the Titan expected an attack, instead he saw Beast boy running towards a pair of bodies.

Cyborg was moving before he even realised it. Starfire being faster, reached them first and confirmed his fears.

"Robin." She yelled, shaking one of the bodies. Sliding to a stop, Cyborg knelt down while switching his signal scanner to that of a medical one. The blue sensor was swept over the bodies of his two friends, as Starfire and Beast Boy tried to revive them.

The small loading circle that had never bothered him before quickly became the most annoying thing in the universe as Cyborg waited for the results.

"What's wrong with them Cy?" Beast Boy asked, almost on the brink of tears as he continued to shake Raven who had yet to respond. Starfire was having equal success with Robin, neither Titan was reacting to their friends action, yet both were clearly alive thanks to the slow rise and fall of their chests.

"Come on," Cyborg hissed as the loading circle continued to taunt him. Then with a ding the results presented themselves on his screen. The data was troubling at best; Robin had a broken rib with a second that could join it any moment along with a bruised forehead indicating an attack that had knocked him out.

Raven however was a puzzle, she was for all intense and purposes fine, she was unconscious but had none of the injuries Robin had suffered. If he wasn't watching her being shaken so roughly without responding Cyborg might have believed she was simply asleep.

"Cyborg, what is wrong with them?" Starfire demanded, pulling his focus away from the scanner.

"I, I don't know." Beast Boy and Starfire both looked at him with complete fear in their eyes. They had come here to save one of their own, now they had two of their friends lying in front of them in what could be considered a mini coma. "Robin is injured, he uh. He took some damage and has broken a rib but there is nothing really medically wrong with them." Cyborg tried to explain but even he was getting frustrated with his weak answer.

"What do we do?" Beast Boy asked looking from Raven to Cyborg to Starfire. None of them had the answer and it was begging to shatter the green Titan's mind as the panic began to overtake him. "Cyborg?" he almost shrieked.

"We, uh we need to get them back." The older Titan said, his words coming out flat as his mind tried to process the situation. "Take them to get patched up."

"Take them where?" Starfire yelled. "The Tower is too far."

"A hospital." Beast Boy suggested. "We can take them to a hospital."

"Yes." Starfire nodded in agreement. Cyborg almost nodded himself until he realised what was being said.

"No." He almost yelled. "Raven isn't human, they wouldn't understand her physiology. We need the Tower's systems."

"Robin is human and he is hurt." Starfire said slipping her arms under their leader, preparing to carry him. "I can take him-"

"Star don't! If you move him you might injure him further."

"Then what do we do? We cannot just sit here." The Tamaranean royal snapped.

"Call the Titan's East. They can bring help."

"That'll take too long."

"We have to do something!"

The three Titan were all silenced by the sudden and sporadic coughing Raven. Giving her some space the trio watched as Raven tried to weakly pull herself up, in less than a second Beast Boy was supporting her, allowing Raven to sit up.

For almost a minute Raven coughed and spluttered with Beast Boy patting her back genteelly while Cyborg took a second scan to examine. Finally Raven's breathing became clearer her breathing falling back under her control. Taking a few cleansing breaths as she tried to sit up without Beast Boy's aid who seemed reluctant to let her go.

"I'm, fine." She managed, pushing away the green Titan who obediently moved away after her almost pathetic attempt at a push.

"Raven what happened?" Cyborg asked saying what everyone was thinking. Raven didn't answer immediately, still taking long mind clearing breaths.

"There was someone else here." She started. "Joey was here, we- tried to get him. Then someone appeared and hit me."

"Who?" Beast boy asked.

"I don't know." Raven replied, trying to reposition herself, so that she was kneeling beside the still unconscious leader of the group. "How's Robin?"

"Bad. He got hurt pretty banged up. I guess we should get him to a hospital." Cyborg said, looking at Starfire in apologetic way. Starfire nodded and was about to stand with Robin when Raven laid her hands on him. "Raven!"

"Rea. No."

"You are too hurt, the doctors can heal Robin." Starfire said, but it was pointless. Raven's hands glowed with her dark energy. Cyborg watched through his scanner as Robin's bones were fixed in record time, all while keeping one eye on Raven, who struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Raven that's enough." Cyborg said as all damage the boy wonder had suffered was undone. Removing her hands from Robin's chest, Beast Boy held onto Raven as she became limp in his arms.

"Cyborg?" Starfire asked, reaching out for Raven's hands to give it a squeeze of thanks while the older Titan checked his scanner.

"He's fine Star, just needs to rest. They both do." Looking around at his friends Cyborg realised while this would probably considered quite touching, they hadn't actually accomplished anything in the search and rescue of Jericho. "I'm going to look around and see if anything relating to Joey hasn't been destroyed yet." He stood up to go when Starfire followed him.

"I will keep watch over friend Raven and Robin." She announced. Cyborg nodded and quickly headed off back the way he came. Dancing over the down and out league of assassins ninja Cyborg began looking frantically for anything resembling a server room.

If they could find anything point them in the next direction, then maybe today wouldn't be a complete failure.

* * *

Deathstroke wasn't surprised by what had transpired between the Titans and the League of assassins. The team of heroes hadn't lasted this long on dumb luck; Ra's was a fool if he thought his pawns could ever hope to stop them.

Drawing one of his volt guns from its holster Deathstroke approached the main door, where a sizeable hold had been made, most likely the work of Starfire. Ignoring the fallen ninja lying around the door, Slade slipped inside, what greeted him were more fallen foot soldiers. Taking a moment to listen Deathstroke heard no sign of movement, only the shallow breathing of the beaten ninja.

Moving like a panther, Slade silently ran through the base's corridors. He hadn't a location in mind, he only would need to find a Titan, from there the answers would present themselves quite quickly.

Following the trail of beaten bodies, Deathstroke was lead towards a set of dual doors; slowing his movements he waited, listening. Voices, voices he had heard many times before. Silently creeping towards the door's Slade genteelly pushed one of them open, an inch, then another, then another. Each time he opened the door further he waited, listening for any reaction from his now former foes.

Once he managed to pry the door open enough Slade slipped through, he was in a hanger, the smell, the equipment, the doors concealed in the ceiling, this would be where those important enough to Ra's would make their getaway. Is that what happened here or perhaps the ever tenacious Titan prevented such a move?

Slipping into the shadows, Slade navigated through the hanger all while eavesdropping on the unaware Titans.

"Any luck Cy?" Beast boy asked, Slade quickly ducked down behind several oil drums, sliding his volt gun back into its holster.

"No, most data's been erased. How's Raven and Robin?" Cyborg replied, risking a peek, Deathstroke saw the green Titan kneeling beside his friends; Robin appeared to be incapacitated, lying flat on the ground while Raven was propped up, her clock serving as a pillow.

Then there was Starfire, acting as their sentry. Her hands clenched at her sides, slowly turning in circles keeping an eye out for any possible straggle who might dare attempt to harm her friends. Foolish really, she had let him slip right on in, she should have focused only on the entrances and exit points.

"Raven's kind of out of it and Robin's still uh resting." The green Titan said, taking a glance at his friends before returning his attention to the yellow communicator in his hand.

Information was the greatest weapon in any beings arsenal, and the poor unaware Beast boy had revealed so much in his innocent conversation. Cyborg was away for the moment meaning only four of the six Titans were present in the hanger.

Joey not being among them, was something Slade had to prepare himself for, it didn't matter. He had a backup plan, he always did. Ra's may have escaped the Titans but that hardly meant he moved beyond Slade's reach.

Robin and Raven were injured in some way and most likely would be unable to fight, had this been two years ago this would be a golden opportunity to extract revenge on the Titans. With only Starfire to stand guard while Beast Boy continued chatting it would be all too easy to end the lives of his enemies. Former-enemies.

"I'm on my way back now. I just hope Robin or Raven got an idea on where to look next because I've hit a dead end."

"Don't worry about it Cy, Robin will know what to do." So confident in his leader, Slade shook his head. Then again perhaps he had a right to be. Watching Beast Boy close the communicator Deathstroke patiently waited for the final member of the team to return. It didn't take long, soon he heard the familiar footsteps of the largest of the Titans as Cyborg came barrelling into the hanger.

"You could not find anything to help us find Joey." Starfire stated her disappointment obvious.

"No, I." The machine man paused. "I don't know what to do."

"Joey." A new voice, Slade tilted his head to it. Raven, although she appeared to be lacking her usual strength, someone really had done a number on her. "Joey was here."

"Did you see him Raven?" Cyborg asked kneeling down to better hear his friend. Deathstroke also listened up, Joey was here, and from the sounds of it not too long ago. How had the Titans seen him and not rescued him? "Did you see anything I don't know a clue on where they are going to take him?"

"He was here." Raven repeated, "Then someone attacked us."

"It's okay Rae. You did all you could."

Joey was here and at the final hurdle the Titans had failed to save him? Anger flooded through Slade's mind. Anger at the thought of his son who was so close to being rescued, only to be taken away by Ra's men. Anger at the thought of the madman who had taken his son, for an unknown purpose. Anger at the fact that once again Slade found himself absent when his children needed him most.

Perhaps most of all, he was angry at himself. The present was starting to get eerily familiar with the past and Joey his son, his only son was in the hands of a psychopath.

Standing up, Deathstroke moved out from behind the oil drums. Two years ago the reactions he earned from the Titans would have given him pleasure, to see the fear and shock in their eyes as a nightmare suddenly appeared before them.

But Deathstroke didn't care how they felt, he didn't care how Cyborg's arm shifted into a cannon or how Starfire's fists were encased with starbolts. Deathstroke didn't care about any of that, all that mattered was once again he was faced with the same group of teenagers who had robbed him of a son and now they had done it again.

"Slade!" Cyborg yelled his cannon humming with power as the blue sonic energy glowed brightly. "Back off man."

Deathstroke never broke stride as he continued marching towards his foes.

"Slade listen to him." Wintergreen's voice, filled with concern, echoed in his ear. "You cannot afford to fight them, Joey's life is in the balance."

"You lost my son." Deathstroke growled his normally soft velvety voice losing any and all psychotic charm it normally held. Beast boy morphed into a Jaguar letting lose a loud roar, before lining up next to his fellows.

"It wasn't like that." Cyborg protested, trying to keep the ever spiralling out of control situation from leading to where all participants knew it would end. "We are trying to save him."

"And you failed!" Deathstroke reached over his shoulder, his gloved fingers enclosing around the power staff. "You let him be taken, you follow, only to lose him again?" Drawing out the weapon, he held it out in front of him. Then his finger glided across the weapon's spine with precise memory, finding the hidden button that would activate the power staff's main stay function. Purple energy sparked before it crackled up and down the weapon, causing Cyborg to flinch, then with speed that went beyond that of any human, Deathstroke spun the weapon in an aggressive display before dropping into a combat stance.

"Oh shoot." Cyborg mumbled before all hell broke loose.

Starfire charged at the assassin, firing starbolts as she flew. Deathstroke with grace and skill that would put any acrobat to shame, leaped nimbly to the side while aiming his weapon at the Tamaranean.

Thumb pushing down on another hidden button, the power staff gathered energy to its head, then with a shriek the energy was fired at its target.

Starfire took the shot and was sent hurtling backwards, crashing into a container. Deathstroke knew that the alien was fine and would be dazed at best, but he lacked the time to press his advantage as once again he was forced onto the defensive by the combined might of Cyborg and Beast Boy.

Avoiding the sonic shots was easy, but doing it when a green jaguar continued leaping at you, claws and teeth ready, it became a challenge. Pressing down low, Deathstroke rolled under the poncing cat, as Cyborg's cannon once again hummed up. Hand reaching towards his belt, Slade pulled an exploding disk free, then with a spin, acting as a blind, he threw the disk right as Cyborg's face.

He reacted well. Cyborg threw his hands up in time, protecting his face from the full force of the small but powerful bomb. With a cry of pain the Titan fell back a little, assessing his damage.

Turning his attention back to the jaguar who let out a roar of fury, Deathstroke reached for one of his volt guns. It would be all too easy to drop the green hero with a single full powered shot. Unfortunately he never had the opportunity, as his enhanced sense's warned him of an incoming danger.

A second later Deathstroke was crushed by a crate, a full one, filled with automatic weapons. As the master assassin tried to recover from the off balancing attack, Beast Boy moved in, Starfire rushing to help.

Leaping at the fallen Slade, Beast boy could have mauled him if Deathstroke had not kicked out at the right time, sending the green Jaguar sprawling. Pushing back Beast boy however was a minor victory as Starfire also threw herself at him.

Rolling backwards. Deathstroke narrowly avoided being pinned by the alien, but Starfire was not finished, a he rolled out of her attempt to straddle him, her arms shot out latching onto his shoulder.

With a furious cry, Starfire stood, spun and then released Deathstroke sending him hurtling across the hanger.

The impact of the fall would hurt him and there was little Deathstroke could do about it. Letting his power staff slip from his hands, Slade, mid-flight drew both of his volt guns. Crashing onto the ground he let out a grunt of pain, armoured as he was, enhanced as he was being thrown by a super strong alien with a fiery temper would hurt anyone.

Speaking of, Starfire was gunning for him again. She had learnt from their previous encounter it seemed. She could not afford to give him time to recover, but the alien was too late.

With eight shots in each gun, before they required a twenty second recharge time, Deathstroke cranked up the power and let lose a volley. The first series of shots found there mark, Starfire's cries of pain told him that.

But Starfire never stopped flying towards him, even using some basic aerial dodges on the final shots. He hadn't dropped her, but he had hurt her, that was something he thought as he returned the weapons to their holsters.

Flipping himself onto his feet, Deathstroke prepared for her charge. Pulling back his right arm he swung for the her face. He hit, it hurt. Like punching a brick wall before he received the serum, a really strong flying wall. Starfire was knocked back a little, while Deathstroke shook his hand, assessing it. He most likely had a broken knuckle or two. It would heal, but he wasn't going to try punching her again anytime soon.

"Slade! We don't have to fight." Cyborg yelled running towards his friends, cannon fully charged and ready to fire.

"Bit late for that don't you think?" Beast Boy growled as he too bonded towards the fight.

Starfire narrowed her eyes preparing to continue the fight, Deathstroke also moved, one hand sliding for his belt, the other reaching behind him for his sword.

The fight would have continued if not for the interruption of a new participant, flying towards them, wobbling with exhaustion as she did, Raven with the maximum amount of effort yelled out "Enough!"

Cyborg and Beast boy turned to face her but Starfire made no such move, keeping her focus on Deathstroke as his fingers curled around his sword's handle.

"We need to find Joey." Raven heaved, landing on unsure legs as she tried to continue.

"Raven we were trying to, then this psycho shows up." Beast boy yelled returning to his human form.

"This. Is not. Helping." Raven growled, the effort of standing and talking was really getting beyond her at this point, her body crying out for rest.

"Tell him that." Cyborg said pointing his cannon arm at Deathstroke, who was slowly slipping into a stance, preparing to jump over Starfire's head.

"We need to share information." Raven continued, her knee's all but giving out on her. As she began to fall to the floor, Beast boy moved to catch her, slowly lowering her down onto the cold concrete floor. "Joey needs all of us."

"Joey never needed you." Slade argued, releasing his sword he slipped into a neutral stance, the fight was over, but as always he wasn't without a plan, in his other hand the smoke disk remained. "You put him in danger."

"Oh my God! This coming from you." Cyborg yelled waving his cannon at Deathstroke. "The mercenary for hire who tears through third world countries every weekend is giving us the you're too dangerous speech?"

"We need to work together because none of know where he's gone." Raven argued, growing tired at shouting over the arguments.

"I don't need you help. I know someone who is going to tell me exactly where the league have taken him."

"Who?" All heads turned as Robin strode towards the group. Fully healed the leader of the Titans was a relief to see, as he made his way over. "I doubt you know anyone who has insight on the league. If you did we would know about them too." Robin looked smug, meaning it was the perfect time for Deathstroke to wipe it away.

"Oh but you do know someone. In fact if this little venture revealed no results he would be my next port of call, what an amazing coincidence they both happen to be in the same city."

"Who?" Cyborg asked confused looking to Robin back to Slade. Slade gave a small chuckle, it sent shivers down most of the Titans spines.

"Why, Bruce Wayne of course."

A pause, Robin's domino masked eyes widened in shock, Beast boy turned to Raven in confusion who for once looked equally as lost, Cyborg frowned as he tried to process the information. Starfire on the other hand finally spoke up. "Who is Bruce Wayne?"

"Child, Bruce Wayne is Batman." Slade smirked beneath his mask as Robin went from stunned to panic stricken to full on enraged in less than a second.

"Bruce Wayne is Batman?" Cyborg yelled out to the heavens.

* * *

 **A/N: And scene. This was originally going to be two chapters in my plan, Slade would confront the Titans spar a little then end only to continue the fight in the next chapter. However as I promised Titans vs Deathstroke I felt I should live up to it and give a proper fight.** **Fear not the scene is not done yet, the Titans and Deathstroke still have a bit to say too each other, or they may go back to hitting. Whichever works.**

 **I love Ron Pearlman's voice so I naturally chose it for Deathstroke in this fic.**

 **Question to my readers: if Slade was an animal what would he be? Feel free to be as creative as you like as I really want to know as I kind of have an idea for it. My default answer is a bear most likely a grizzly but I am sure much more imaginative souls can find a better answer.**

 **As always a big thank you to everyone who reviews and those who follow and fav makes me really proud and gets me fired up to write.  
**

 **Next time: BRUCE WAYNE IS BATMAN?! Titans and Slade team-up?  
**


	5. Chapter 5

"Bruce Wayne is Batman?" Cyborg yelled out to the heavens, his voice echoing around the hanger for a few seconds as the eldest Titan tried to process this ground breaking discovery.

"So if Bruce Wayne is Batman," Starfire said, slowly putting the pieces together, "then he should know where to find the people who took Joey?" She turned to Raven and Beast Boy; the empath gave her a nod while the green Titan just looked confused.

"Wait, if Robin knew that Batman knows where to find these guys, why didn't we just go straight to Batman?" Beast Boy queried. All beings in the hanger be they heroes or less than angels turned to look at Robin.

"Yeah, why didn't we?" Cyborg asked, the shock starting to ebb from his systems.

"Because I didn't want to involve him, we can handle this ourselves." Robin defended.

"And what a fine job you're doing." Slade coldly stated, earning a growl from the leader of the Titans.

"We need to go see Batman then," Raven stated, cutting off any potential fight with her words of wisdom. "Robin we need to find Joey."

Had Deathstroke not been in the room with them, Robin would have liked nothing better than to explain to his teammate why they didn't need the Batman's help and how they were all quite capable in solving this without outside help, that the Titans were a force capable of solving its own problems. But in the interest of not opening himself up to a jab about acting childish, Robin simply gritted his teeth together while wearing an expression of pure hatred.

"Well then let's go." Cyborg snapped, throwing Robin a look. "Perhaps you would like to introduce us?"

Deathstroke began to move, causing Starfire and Robin to slip into defensive stances, but the fight was over and the assassin ignored the duo and moved towards his fallen power staff.

"He." Robin pointed at the orange and black clad killer. "Is not coming with us."

"Do you really think I need your help to track down Bruce Wayne?" Slade scoffed, sliding his weapon back into its sheath on his back. Turning to face the group of heroes Slade shook his head, they had clashed so many times but as always the Titans were thinking like children. "I knew exactly where Bruce Wayne was and will be before I even touched down in this crime ridden cesspool. I have a list of everyone he cares about, have plenty of means of accruing any one of them in a matter of minutes, and believe me Boy wonder. I do not require anyone's help in arranging a meeting."

Watching the Titan's various expressions as his words sunk in, Deathstroke turned and made for the doors that would lead out of the hanger.

"Hold on." Cyborg ordered, his arm shifting into its cannon mode. "We can't just let you- hey I said stop!" But Deathstroke didn't care and pushed the duel doors open and slipped out. With a cry of disbelief Cyborg quickly took off after the mercenary with Starfire and Robin quickly following. Beast Boy helped Raven to her feet before shifting into a Bengal tiger.

"Hope aboard." He growled. Had she the strength to Raven might have argued, but as she felt her legs about give out, the purple haired teen had no choice but to climb/fall atop of the green beast.

Marching over the still bodies of Ra's men, Slade made straight for the car that brought him here, his mind a whirl of calculations, maps and details. How quickly could he arrive at Wayne manor? What strategy would be best, an open confirmation, a veiled threat or-

"Slade! Stop!" Turning around Deathstroke locked eye with the three Titans who had followed him, "we can't let you do this." Cyborg ordered pointing the sonic cannon at him once again. Slade examined the three of them, Robin seemed to be the most willing to fight, although given his earlier condition could the boy wonder actually last? Then there was Starfire who apart from a few quickly healing shock wounds appeared quite ready to battle.

Last was Cyborg who appeared to be favouring words over fists. The explosion from earlier hadn't really done anything lasting to him, meaning the metal man was quite fit for any trouble.

"We can't be tackling this from two different angels. Cyborg explained, his voice filled with strain as he practically begged for his friends and their enemy to understand. "If we keep tripping each other up Joey is never going to get rescued."

"Then go home." The Titans stood stunned for a moment.

"What? Why?" Starfire exclaimed.

"Because you are the weak link." Deathstroke explained. "You let my son be taken, you failed to save him and it sounds as if one of you has been holding back information that compromised your efficiency." Robin's eye's narrowed behind his domino mask at that part but Slade wasn't here to bait them. He had more important work to do, work that could be achieved much swifter without the Titans. "I will save Joey, and unlike you I am willing to do what it takes."

"Oh yeah?" A green tiger asked as it padded towards the group, Raven sitting astride it. "Cause if memory serves me correct you are the last guy Jericho is going to want to see."

"It doesn't matter what he wants. What matters is that he comes back home safely." Slade looked at all of the Titans. "This is only a taste at what the league of assassins can throw at you. I know what I am in for, you don't. Leave this to me."

Turning Slade slipped through the hole in the door and crunched through the snow to where his car waited. Twenty minutes, that is how long it would take him to get to Wayne manor, from there he would need to find a way to breach security, find a-

"Slade!"

Resisting the urge to growl in frustration the master assassin one again turned to look at the five heroes who had followed him.

"We are not giving up on Joey." Starfire stated her voice leaving no room for argument.

"And I'm not letting you wander around doing what you think is necessary to find him." Robin continued, his eyes hard as he glared at his most hated enemy.

"You've got two choices." Cyborg said "We throw down right here and now and see who manages to walk away, battered and bruised and hope Batman does magically have all the answers, only to have to fight through an army of ninja's and who knows what else or." He stopped, allowing Raven to finish.

"Or we work together and save Joey's life."

"Deal or no deal dude?" The green tiger asked, presenting a full tiger grin.

* * *

 **Wayne Manor.**

* * *

It had been a long time since Robin had to wear a tux. It had been even longer still since he had to wear one to attend a Bruce Wayne fundraiser event. He could still remember how much he had loathed them then too, the fake smiles, and the way he would have to switch from dumb angst ridden teenager to brilliant but lazy ward depending on who he was speaking too. How he thanked God for Barbra during those parties.

For a moment Robin stopped, his bow tie dangling loosely in his fingers, would Barbra be here? He realised Alfred would be present but had assured himself the old butler would have the good sense to stay clear of any conflict should it arise but if Barbra was here, she would throw herself into the ring the moment Slade made a move.

If he made a move.

Trusting him was like trusting a tiger, a really old, really tough tiger. The big cat could sit there lazily watching you for hours, while you grow bored and the moment your eyes droop it would move.

It had been a long time since Robin had to wear a tux, but slipping several disk and robinrangs in the pockets in made him feel slightly better.

* * *

 **Wayne Manor. Outside.**

* * *

"I swear this better not become a thing." Cyborg fumed as he watched another fancy car pull up to the great house, a few seconds later the latest handsome couple climbed out and walked inside while a valet took their car. "Once is bad enough but twice?"

"You can't blend in like they can." Raven reminded Cyborg. She felt a little better, the trip over had given her some valuable time to rest while her body recovered from its ordeal, and while letting Robin go climbing into Batman's house along with Deathstroke was by no means a comforting thought, the other Titans stood out far too much to go unnoticed.

"We must try to keep Robin's secret, even if the situation is most dire." Starfire followed up, causing Cyborg to give her a look before he let out a huff.

"Second time tonight I've been playing backup duty." Grumbled Cyborg, watching another brand new straight off the line sports car roll on up. "Bet they got some sweet food in there." He said watching the latest dynamo couple climb out.

* * *

 **Wayne Manor.**

* * *

"You look good dude." Beast Boy said, as the boy wonder gave him a quick three-sixty spin. Robin didn't say anything as the green mouse stood on its hind legs and placed a paw under where Robin assumed a mouse had a chin. "Forgetting something?"

Looking at the mirror Robin's own masked reflection stared back. "Guess it would be kind of a giveaway." Reaching up to the mask he removed it slipping it into his trouser pocket.

"Perfecto!" Beast Boy complimented, speaking in a terrible French accent. "Oh Monsieur Robin, you look how they ze el manafic!" The bow wonder didn't get a chance to reply as a soft knock came from his bedroom door. "Showtime." The mouse said. Reaching out his hand Robin watched as Beast Boy hopped on, then raising his arm up, the green rodent slipped inside Robin's jacket's breast pocket.

Opening the door, Robin saw Slade Wilson, standing there wearing a tux, a tux Robin knew he has taken from Bruce Wayne's closet, with his armour and weapons removed and no doubt hidden away, Slade was quite venerable, another time, another place this would have been a golden opportunity.

But tonight wasn't that night.

"Ready to say Hi?" Slade asked. Biting back his frustration at the one eyed man Robin nodded and stepped out into the hallway, closing his old bedroom door behind him, he was made painfully aware of how venerable he too was in this situation.

As they walked silently towards the sound of music, laughter and people Robin was eternally grateful for the small shuffling animal in his tux pocket.

Descending down the stairs, unnoticed, that led into a brightly lit room packed full of Gotham's elite would seem like a difficult task. However Slade Wilson didn't even slow as he approached the stairs, instead Slade took his sweet time, acting like he owned the place, the assassin all but glided down them.

Robin followed, doing his best to move swift, but not draw attention to himself as he did, ultimately he failed as he saw several people look up and spot him, one or two of the younger ladies present even threw him a wink. Falling in next to Slade who patiently waited for him at the bottom of the stairs, Dick glanced over the crowded room, every red head caught his attention and he could feel his heart seize up as he checked to see if it was Barbra Gordon or not.

Thankfully he was wrong at every one.

"Shall we?" Slade asked, breaking Robin's concentration. With a silent nod, the two walked with purpose through the crowded room, heading towards the centre where a small ever changing circle of people were gathered.

Robin knew what this was, Alfred had once referred to it as a social feeding frenzy, everyone who wished to speak, ask, beg or propose something to their host would at some point or another enter the circle and try to see if they could have a piece of Bruce Wayne, or his fortune.

A few had tried to get Bruce alone, sometimes they would try to lure him away, others took a more strong armed approach, however in the circle all the billionaire need say was. "Surely you can ask me in front of my friends." And the attempt would fail. However where past police commissioners, beautiful models and dirty business men had failed, none of them could profess to being the negotiator that Slade Wilson was.

Alfred saw them first, walking no faster than he would had he been approaching any other guest the butler moved to intercept the two, Slade out of the corner of his eye saw this and slowed his own pace, allowing the two parties to meet.

"Master Richard." Alfred stated where only those with knowledgeable experience with the butler would have detected the small air of warmness to it. "How unexpected." Alfred turned to look at Slade, both of their faces remained neutral. "May I get you anything?"

Robin wasn't sure who the question was for, but both men shook their heads regardless. "We need to see Bruce." he said.

"Of course sir, if you would follow me." Alfred turned and led them towards the feeding frenzy, right now Robin could see Bruce with a blonde bombshell on his arm as he stood talking to a small circle of suits.

Robin only recognised Lucius Fox, which meant these were either clients or members of the Wayne cooperation. Alfred quickly circled the group appearing beside Bruce before either Slade or Robin were ready. "Sir, Master Richard would like a word with you."

Turning Bruce's billion dollar smile momentarily dropped and the corner of his eyes widened a fraction or two. Turning away from the circle Bruce locked eyes with Robin, for a moment the emotion might be mistaken for happiness, if Bruce Wayne was capable of such a thing.

But then it was gone, replaced by pure worry and surprise, followed by suspicion. That was all Bruce.

"Richard." Bruce announced as if he were showing him off, which perhaps he was. "I wasn't expecting to see you here tonight."

"We need to talk." Robin declared his serious tone and hard glare were noticed by all those present. Sadly out of costume most people when they hear a man not yet twenty say something in this way, mistake it for acting mature, instead of it being a serious declaration. Before Bruce could speak, perhaps he would have hushed some of his smirking "friends" Slade stepped in. Offering his hand he announced himself in his mesmerising voice.

"Mr. Wayne, we've met before I'm Rex Wilson."

"Ah, of course. It's nice to see you again." Bruce replied, taking Slade's hand in quick shake.

"I do hate to disturb you but there are some things we need to discuss." Robin watched as Slade tilted his head slightly to indicate the boy wonder, while Bruce nodded in understanding, playing along for now.

"I see." He turned to his guests, who were giving him puzzled stares. "Excuse me there is a private matter I need to deal with, I will not be long." He promised, giving the blonde bombshell, who seemed very disappointed at the thought of Bruce leaving her, an apologetic look before he turned back to Slade and Robin.

"Let's discuss this in the study." Bruce Wayne said, leading the two towards an almost hidden door that blended in with the wall, of course it was all a rouse. Guests might think it was a "secret" room if they were shown it whilst alone but watching three men walk right up to it, in full public view. Enter, then slowly close the door made everyone realise the "secret" room was pretty common knowledge and thus not worth exploring.

The secrets the room led to however…

Bruce Wayne closed the door, separating the trio off from the outside world, the wall were soundproof, the door had a seal like function meaning a small bomb blast could go off in here and all the people outside would feel was a slight shudder.

"What are you doing here?" Batman demanded, his voice booming with authority. Robin and Slade didn't so much as even blink.

"We need the coordinates to every rat nest the league of assassins have." Slade replied, crossing his arms, knowing that the dark knight would have some questions that he didn't want to answer, thankfully he had Robin who Bruce was far more willing to talk to.

"Robin, you brought hi-"

"I didn't bring him anywhere, he knew." Robin explained trying to keep his voice level, within seconds Bruce was once again acting like he was in control, nothing had changed. "He was going to come to your party with or without me, and right now it doesn't matter. Just give us the information and we will leave."

"Why?" Batman demanded.

"Because our friend is in trouble and Ra's took him."

"Bruce didn't say anything, his eyes narrowing as his brilliant mind quickly joined the dots. "So you decided to work with him." He pointed at Slade, who didn't react. "Because of this?"

"We are not working together." Slade spoke up, his single eye glaring at Robin. "We just need the same information."

A knock at the door silenced the three, they waited a second before the door opened and Alfred stepped in, closing the door behind him.

"Everything alright sir?"

"No." Robin spoke up, seeing an opportunity. Another time, another situation and Robin would have felt bad about using the trusted butler like this, but right now it was his only card without physically taking the information himself, or letting Deathstroke do whatever plan he had. "My friend has been kidnapped by the league of assassins." Alfred didn't react but Robin knew it was already working. "Bruce," Robin made sure to add some venom into that name. "won't give us the information that could help us find him."

"I see." The butler stated. Bruce didn't look intimidated by the ploy Robin was playing, choosing to give both Robin and Slade a long hard bat glare. Slade rolled an eye.

"While this is all very touching, my son's life is in the balance. So if we could hurry this along."

"Or what?" Bruce challenged.

"Anyone ever died at one of these parties?" Slade smirked.

Batman would have gone for him right there if Robin found himself stepping in-between them, he knew why he did it, but it shocked him none the less. He wouldn't let Slade lay a finger on anyone here, but if Bruce stopped being Bruce for a second they could all leave and be done with each other for another two years.

"A young man's life is in danger sir," Alfred said putting a hand on Bruce's shoulder. "I believe Master Richard is aware of his actions but right now, we cannot afford to delay them."

"Fine." Bruce finally conceded straitening himself up as he adjusted his cuff links. "Wait here." He said to Slade, "I will take Robin and provide him with the necasar-"

"Oh yes, the secret cave located under the mansion." Slade smirked, enjoying watching all the men present faces change. "Well if you want to keep some secrets go ahead. I'll be waiting outside."

Moving to the door, Slade gave the boy wonder a slight glance before his hand enclosed around the handle.

"Sir, if you are leaving us, might a request you return the suit?" Alfred asked. Slade smirked and turned to the butler.

"Of course Mr. Pennyworth." With that Slade opened the door and stepped out back into the lively party, Alfred followed him. Leaving Robin alone with Bruce.

"How can you think to trust that man?" Batman asked, his voice returning to a growl.

"I don't trust him. I don't want anything to do with him, but if I let him out of my sight he is just going to keep showing up wherever it is we go."

"He's dangerous." Batman warned him. Robin resisted the urge to pull on his hair.

"Of course he's dangerous! I know that better than anyone. But right now I need to find Jericho, and you're the one holding me up."

"Had you contacted me as soon as Ra's made a move I could have prevented all of this."

There it was, the absolute arrogance that was Batman. He would have prevented this, where Robin had failed the Batman so kindly offered to fix his mistakes, if he didn't put his foot down right now, Batman might very well invite himself on the mission too.

"Just give me the information." Robin fumed.

Turning away from his onetime ward, Bruce walked towards the far wall, where a panel was hidden beneath the wood. Pressing his palm on the spot he waited a second later a beeb was heard and the wall opened up.

"Shall we?" Bruce invited, descending into the Batcave.

* * *

 **Wayne Manor, outside.**

* * *

"I swear to God if I am asked to do stakeout one more time I am going to scream." Cyborg threatened, laying on his back the metal man was staring up at the cloudy polluted sky that hung over the city.

The only good news right now was Raven was feeling a whole lot better and was now able to walk without assistance. Not that she did, what with the whole staying inconspicuous and hidden. Starfire was the only one really focusing on their job, her green eyes never leaving the mansion, she was worried about Robin and not just because of Deathstroke.

She had known now for a long time the boy wonder hated discussing his past and was quick to clam up whenever anyone's backstory was brought up. Now that he had been forced to discuss the Batman, Starfire had pieced enough together to realise this wasn't just the stress of losing Joey that was affecting him.

Gotham was not a place with fond memories for him.

"Slade is back." Starfire announced, causing Cyborg to turn his hand into a cannon and quickly roll off his back into a kneeling stance. Raven, didn't really move. Only sitting up a little straighter and facing the direction the man was coming from. Back in his armour it took Cyborg the best part of himself not to let off a blast of sonic energy as the nightmare emerged from the shadows.

"Where is Robin?" Starfire demanded, her firsts clenching together.

"He had business with Daddy." Slade replied, moving away from the group before leaning against a tree. "Don't worry, I am sure Robin won't be staying long."

Starfire really didn't understand that last part but Slade seemed to find it funny in his own dark way. Keeping one eye on the mansion, Starfire continued to stand ready, waiting for Slade to make just one wrong move. Cyborg quickly disengaged his cannon before returning onto his back, staring up at the dark clouded sky.

"Gotham sucks." He said.

* * *

 **The** **Batcave.**

* * *

Robin kept his face neutral all the time he descended the stairs down into the familiar dark cave, it had changed in some ways, new things had been added. Older thing had been taken away or replaced but it was still the Batcave. Sliding into his chair, facing the giant computer Bruce began typing, the sound of the striking of keys brought back a lot of memories. Turning his back on the man as he worked, Robin instead walked towards the edge of the platform; below him was the batmobile or at least the latest model.

"Why did you think it would be a good idea to handle Ra's on your own?"

Robin ground his teeth together, there it was again. Batman assuming he knew all the facts.

"I'm not alone."

"The other Titans are here?" Batman turned, a slight hint of anger in his voice.

"We already visited the League base up in the mountains, Joey was there. But then Shiva got in my way. Now he's gone."

The sound of Bruce rising from the chair caught him off guard as Robin turned to see Batman give a look of horror and anger.

"What were you thinking?" he barked. "You could have been killed!"

"I was saving my friend." Robin yelled back, "I was protecting my family."

"By working with a murderer?"

"He wasn't meant to be there, but I guess even he cares enough about his son to actually go after him." Bruce's eyes narrowed; if he was wearing the cowl Robin probably would only see a pair of slits of white.

"And what is that meant to mean?"

"It means Slade is going to do whatever it takes to find Jericho. As am I." Robin declared taking a step forward, "So as much as I hate it, we might have to work together in order to save him from your psychopath."

Bruce threw Robin one last look before returning to his chair, his fingers thundering across the keyboard as a series of maps filled the many screens around the cave.

"Why would Ra's want Slade's son?" the detective asked.

"I don't know." Robin replied. He looked down as he felt Beast Boy move around inside his breast pocket. Risking a peek, he saw the green mouse look up at him with wide eyes. The boy wonder probably could expect a lot of questions from Beast Boy once this was all over and done with. Returning his attention to the screens Robin saw dozens of green boxes be added to the maps, indicating a possible target.

Most of the locations were in the Himalayas although it wasn't that surprising to see bases in China, Brazil and even Antarctica.

"These are the places where Ra's has Lazarus pits." Bruce explained as serval locations changed from green boxes to red. "If I had to take a guess I would say this is where he would be. I will send you the list in probability order."

* * *

 **Wayne Manor. Outside.**

* * *

All those present turned and stared at Starfire as she reached for the yellow disk resting on her belt as it beeped loudly. Flipping it open the orange alien's eyes narrowed for a second as she stared at the screen.

"Star?" Cyborg asked.

"I believe we have the map." Starfire said, showing the screen to her friends, and Deathstroke.

"Yeah, but which one do we go to first?" Cyborg asked watching as the screen changed every three seconds to a brand new location.

* * *

 **Batcave.**

* * *

"Thanks, I'll show myself out." Robin said heading towards the stairs. Batman called for him but Robin didn't stop, running up two steps at a time the boy wonder was relived to find the dark knight was not giving chase.

Hitting the button that opened the hidden passage Robin waited for the entrance to the Batcave to shut before he headed for the door out of the study. He didn't run, but his pace was fast enough that he was able to cut across the room without anyone who could have recognised him getting a second glance.

When he reached the stairs he quickly climbed them two at a time. The second he was out of sight his hand moved to his tie, as he ran to his old room. By the time he had burst into through the door, he was shirtless, holding onto his jacket as Beast Boy scrambled out.

"Dude what's the rush?" The green mouse asked, leaping from the jacket and landing on Robin's old bed. The second Beast Boy was no longer on the jacket Robin let it fall as he reached for his shoes.

"We need to go, now."

"I get that we have to hurry but I don't think that's why you're being like this." Beast Boy commented, returning to his human form. Robin began pulling at his laces, while the green Titan was kind enough to pick up the fallen dinner jacket and fish out any and all weapons and gadgets Robin had tucked away.

"I hate it here." Robin offered as an explanation as he began to kick off his shoes.

"Do you want to-" Beast Boy started but Robin cut him of with a look. "Right, I'll be on the window sill while you change then."

* * *

 **Wayne Manor. Outside.**

* * *

"Robin?" Starfire asked as the two heroes raced across the lawn towards her. The boy wonder slowed as he approached the group while Beast Boy wandered over to Raven and Cyborg.

"I'm fine Star. Did we get it?"

"Yeah we got a list of hot spots we can go check." Cyborg explained. "T-ship's got more than enough fuel to make a trip to the Himalayas and back, but if this becomes a long term thing…"

"I know." Robin nodded, they would need to return to the tower and refuel, and with each day they failed to find Joey the chances of finding him diminished.

"So…" Cyborg said, turning to face Deathstroke who was still silently watching them. "Are you coming with us or are we going to keep meeting up every new location and hash it out?"

Slade didn't answer, eyeing each of the Titans, the idea of working with them under their terms was repulsive. They were smart kids, most of the time, deadly fighters and excellent at ingenuity but still, spending time with them outside of a fight or a brief alliance could very well drive Slade mad.

The answer was obvious, for Joey's sake he would go with them. The only bright spot in this development was the thought of what he would unleash upon the League once he found them and Titans or not, no one would get in his way. He nodded, it didn't relax any of his former enemies, none of them were overjoyed at him coming along.

"Well then, everyone let's get moving, first stop evil bad guy base #1!" Cyborg cheered, leading the Titan's towards the hidden ship, submerged in Gotham Bay. As the group began moving Slade watched as Starfire kept a constant green gaze on him. The little Tamaranean didn't trust him, well that wasn't surprising.

Not that it really mattered. If the worst he could expect is a dirty look then he had nothing to worry about.

* * *

 **AN: Whew! Done and done. Sorry for the delay I was working on a 2nd project that took up a lot of my time so I had to postpone this chapter. Hope to get the 2nd project out soon. Thanks again to those who reviewed, big shout out to the Anon who suggested Slade be a tiger which is just so right for him. Any artist wanna draw a one eyed Tiger for me?  
**

 **Also am I seeing BBRAE? huh never planned for that to happen.**

 **Well Slade is with the Titans for better or for worse. Wonder what will happen next time?**

 **Next time: Joey meet's Ra's. And then I torture him! Joey, not Ra's.**

 **Remember to leave a review, please and thank you.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Bold text as speech is Sign Language.**

* * *

 **Secret base #3 of the League of Assassin's.**

* * *

Bound and blinded all Joey could do is wait as he listened as the helicopter blades spun slowly to a stop, they had arrived. Then all at once activity happened all around him, thundering footsteps as dozens of people marched off the helicopter. Then an arm, a big one, if he had been back home he could have sworn it was Cyborg, wrapped around his waist, before he could even comprehend what was happening Joey was thrown over a broad shoulder and then was carried out of the helicopter.

For the next few minutes he was treated like a sack of potatoes and with every foot step of the big man who was carrying him Joey was rocked a little, pretty soon he could start to feel the blood rush to his head and he didn't know which would happen first, him passing out or vomiting.

"Mr Wilson." Joey tilted his head in the direction of the woman's voice, it was the same one as before and as the man carrying him showed no sign of slowing or stopping Joey realised he was about to have a one sided conversation while held over someone's shoulder. A first for him. "You are about to meet my father and the master of the League of assassins."

Well that answers everything Joey thought bitterly, not having the first clue who the woman was let alone who her father could be or what this organisation was she spoke of.

"I am sure you have many questions, my father will explain all shortly." Talia promised. There was silence from then on, only broken by his carriers footsteps. Joey wasn't sure how far he was being taken or for how long. Being blind and unable to move at your own place left him very disjointed from the world around him. All of a sudden the big man stopped causing Joey to shudder. For a few seconds the big man stood, waiting then the sound of opening doors was heard. Not your average doors no, big mighty doors like the ones on castles or great palaces.

Joey's carrier big began moving, this time his pace was slower, his footsteps noticeably more quite. A giant hand reached out for the blond hero who was picked off the should and forced to stand. Feeling his legs about to give, Joey expected to face plant right onto the floor, but a pair of hands grabbed hold of him, helping him stand while another unseen person freed Joey's wrists.

A arm then slipped under each of his own and Joey was escorted forward, a second later his guides stopped, and lowered him into an chair. Then his guides left him, their feet made no noise as the gave the boy his space. The blindfold remained robbing him of his sight and while his hands were free, Joey wasn't that naïve. Whoever had brought him here could have set up a thousand ways to kill him if he tried to free his eyes. So for now he sat, waiting in the chair for the master of the league of assassins to grace him with his presence.

He didn't have to wait very long.

"Joseph Wilson." An aged voice greeted, causing Joey to jump in his chair much to his embarrassment. "In a moment you will be granted back your sight, but before you try anything hasty I would like for you to observe something first."

The big man's hands latched onto either side of Joey's skull and forced his head to face left. He was held like this for a few seconds, Joey's own hands flew to his attackers trying to pry them off but it was no good. A second pair of hands reached out for his blindfold pulling it free. Then he could see, in a moment the world was bared before him and Joey had to shut his eyes at the sudden brightness, he waited a few seconds, preparing himself for whatever it was he was being allowed to look at. Raising his hands to block out some of the light, Joey was met with a most unpleasant sight.

A child, maybe about six or seven years old with a knife pressed against her throat. For a second Joey's mind froze as he took it all in; a little brown girl was being held as a hostage by a masked ninja wearing reflective lens over his eyes, in what appeared to be luxurious palace or hotel. Had there not been a child being used as a hostage Joey might have studied the bright rich room with wonder, instead all he could focus on was the dark fear stricken eyes of the little girl.

Then Joey's head was forced right where a similar situation was present, this time a boy, who appeared slightly younger than the girl, who also had a blade pressed against his throat. Unlike the girl, the boy's eyes were filled with tears, as he bravely tried to keep his sniffles quietly. The two children could have been siblings, Joey didn't know. All he did know was that his use of his power and any chance of immediate escape had been put on hold.

"I trust you understand what will happen should you attempt to use your abilities?" Joey was then forced to look front and centre, there sitting across from him behind a desk befitting a king sat a greying man whom Joey had never seen before, but one he quickly hated with every shred of his soul. Locking his eyes with the man's Joey silently nodded, bringing a small twisted smile to the man's face.

"Joey Wilson," Talia proudly spoke stepping into the teen's line of sight. "I present to you the great Ra's al Ghul, the demons head and master of the League of assassins."

With a small nod from Ra's, the hands that held Joey's head vanished and the big man quickly left the room, the great doors closing behind him. Then lacing his fingers together the demon's head leaned in a little staring at Joey like a child would a bug one if it was caught under a glass jar.

"I am very pleased to meet you Joseph Wilson; I do believe you are the answer to a problem that had haunted me for many years now." Joey hatred of the man grew, he wasn't treating him as if he was a threat, Ra's believed he had already won and now was the time for his gloating or as Beast Boy would put it 'The villain's monologue.' "I will make you a promise, work with me and aid me in my mission and I will let you and any others that you request go free and unharmed." Ra's eyes momentarily glanced towards the girl on Joey's left.

The urge to jump into the old man's body was a great one, to rob him of any and all power. To take possession of him if only to cease the smug attitude he radiated, but Joey couldn't. Ra's knew this all too well and thus was allowed to continue playing the game his way.

"I am also a learned man Mr Wilson." Ra's continued on, unlacing his hands and giving his fingers a stretch. "I can continue speaking to you in English or we could discuss this in sign. You will find there is no language I have not mastered." He boasted.

Flexing his own unused fingers Joey took a breath before he began to talk with his kidnapper.

 **"What do you want from me?"**

"Your ability, I wish to explore it and improve its power." Joey was thankful Ra's wasn't being vague with him, but at the same time his answer opened up more questions.

 **"Why?"**

"I believe it to be more complex a power than you have discovered." Joey was stumped, his power was singular, to possess whomever he made eye contact with, what more was there to it? Ra's seemed to pick up on his confusion. "Have you ever pushed your limits Mr Wilson? Challenged that barrier you yourself have placed in front of you?"

Barrier? Limits? Joey's mind became a hive of questions, what did Ra's mean, was he implying that he could do more, be more? His friends and parents had explored his abilities with him and found it to be quite a simple skill, now this Ra's seemed to think there was even more to discover.

"Have you ever tried to take another's soul from a body? To not just possess but transfer?" Joey shook his head, he hadn't even considered it. The idea sounded almost lovecraftian to go from being a body jumper to a soul stealer. "Your true abilities remains untapped. You are not the only member of your family to possess such mental powers and like them I suspect you need only a nudge to discover the true depths of your gift.

Joey was now officially lost. Slade, his father had no psychic powers of any kind that Joey could think of, well he did have a talent that no one on earth had yet displayed, but Joey had never really questioned it, beyond their blood connection. Was Ra's suggesting his-

Standing up with more speed than Joey expected from the old man, Ra's moved from around his desk, the great doors opened behind them and the large man's footsteps were heard. "We shall begin testing you at once Mr Wilson, to break down your walls and see if you can accomplish what I seek."

Joey stood up from the chair, the second he did the two ninja holding the children tensed up but Talia waved her hand, preventing any bloodshed. Ra's turned back to the Titan who quickly began asking his next question.

 **"What tests? What do you want me to do?"**

Ra's twisted smile returned. "I want you to save my life Mr Wilson." The demon's head then turned and moved towards the door, Talia approached Joey extending her arm towards the door. Joey was to follow, taking a moment to glance at the two captive children who were being lined up behind them with their 'keepers'. They looked back, the girl trying to hide her fear and remain strong, the boy trying to keep calm as the two momentarily reached out and held hands.

Unable to say anything to the young captives, Joey instead tried to give them his best reassuring smile. Then they began moving in a formation through the palace, Joey followed Ra's who was quickly surrounded by a small guard of ninja while Talia walked alongside the hero and the children following behind.

* * *

 **Testing ground.**

* * *

The testing ground, was like an underground colosseum. While Ra's and his men moved off to an observers box, Joey was taken towards the arena. Although he hadn't known him for very long a clear picture was beginning to form in Joey's mind about what kind of man Ra's was, and judging from the dark red and brown stains on the stone titles of the arena the demon's head would go far to achieve what he desired.

With every step that brought him closer to the arena Joey felt his heart race, in the ringed battle ground was an iron portcullis that made him wonder. Was this Ra's test to have him fight for his life in the hope that Jericho could do the impossible and somehow achieve what Ra's wanted? Would he need to kill, was he going be put in such a situation where he would have to take a life?

Looking up at Ra's who was now sitting quite comfortably in a great throne overlooking the arena, Joey once again wished he could posses the man. He didn't know what he would do afterwards and such an action could get him killed, and others. The children were also being taken towards the arena, separated the boy and the girl were being moved to opposite sides of the lowest level. They would have front row seats to whatever Ra's had planned and were being kept in Joey's thoughts in case he tried anything. Stepping onto a crude wooden lift Joey and Talia were lowered into the arena ring itself, there waiting for them were two ninja who quickly moved towards Joey.

For a second Joey thought this was the test, he would have to fight but Talia quickly laid a hand on his shoulder. "You will not be harmed." She promised, as the two guards grabbed him. Dragging him away from the lift they all but carried him into the centre of the arena were a pair of shackles were bolted to the floor. Pushing the teen onto his knee's one of the guards held onto his shoulders, while another moved towards the iron portcullis, reaching out the ninja rang a small gong. A few seconds later screaming was heard

Joey tried to rise to his feet, but the guard fought against him. Arms moving like a cobra, Joey reached for his guards wrist and pulled on it bringing the ninja closer, striking back with an elbow, following up with a strike to the face. Joey rolled away from his stunned guard and slipped into a defensive stance. The uninjured guard was about to make a move for Jericho but Talia stopped him with a look, silently the ninja backed away leaving Joey some breathing room. Looking up at the children, the blond Titans saw both were beyond terrified as the frantic and desperate screaming continued, growing louder as it's maker approached.

With a rumble the portcullis rose up, Joey began bouncing on the balls of his feet, preparing for combat. With every movement his body grew more relaxed his muscle memory knowing what was to come thanks to countless hours sparing with many partners.

Once the portcullis was raised, two more ninja appeared, dragging a man behind them. Their prisoner fought against them but his struggles were futile, as Joey's own two guards moved forward and quickly grappled the screaming man. Not relaxing for a second, Jericho watched as the screaming man managed to push one of the ninja back. But was quickly detained by the remaining three who began beating their captive.

A new voice cried out causing Joey to look away, it was the little girl who began screaming something in a language Joey didn't understand, a second later the boy followed suite. The struggling man, looked up and with new found strength once again tried to fight off the ninja as he was dragged towards the set of shackles bolted into the floor.

Then children were silenced as cold steel was pressed against their throats. For a moment Joey feared that they had would be killed but Talia raised her hand, giving the guards a stern look, Joey was surprised by his own feelings but a rush of relief and gratitude towards Ra's daughter swept through him. He silently thanked her before returning his attention to the struggling man. The guards had successfully maneuvered him near the cuffs and had began chaining him to the floor using their combined numbers to pin the man down while one of the ninja locked a shackle over his wrist.

Judging from the two children's reactions it was more than likely that if the duo were indeed siblings then the man placed before Joey was their father. Head turning from one child to the other, the man began calling to them, but the children were unable to reply. Then a loud clap from Talia brought silence to the man as he visibly flinched.

"Mr Wilson." Ra's voice echoed down, causing all to gaze up at him. "You shall possess the man before you." There was no need for idle threats, all that needed to be said had, as Ra's watched in anticipation.

Turning to the cuffed man, who looked up at Ra's with the same hate that Joey had felt earlier, Joey felt sympathy for the man. He was nothing more than a crash dummy, someone for Ra's to experiment on for these tests. One of the guards moved behind the father putting into a headlock, the ninja forced the cuffed man to look at Joey. The hate remained as the father tried to struggle against the hold.

'I'm sorry.' Joey thought as he locked eyes with the man, the father's own eyes widened as for a split second Jericho's sclera turned from white to black. It was like slipping on a fitted glove, there was no resistance, no ill fit, every body Joey had ever took possession of became his own as if he were born in it. All but one. Opening the man's eyes Joey tried to look around, made difficult by the guards continued headlock. Shaking his cuffed hands, the chains jingling as he did the ninja got the message allowing Joey to look up at Ra's.

The League of assassins master grinned, before beginning a slow clap. Nobody joined in. "Well done Mr Wilson, now leave his body."

Closing his eyes, Joey felt himself fade from the father's body back to his own. Climbing to his feet, Joey awaited his next instruction from Ra's, however the demon's head didn't speak continuing to observe the display below him in silence. Looking up at the two children, Joey saw they were both fear stricken, looking at Joey as most did when first seeing his power, like he was a monster. But there was also fear for their father, who slumped in the ninja's hold now lose hold.

A few moments later, the man stirred. Joey wished he could explain what had happened to him, those he invaded had no recollection of what transpired with him at the controls, when he had practiced on his friends back at the tower during sparing matches, all had expressed memory gaps from the second he invaded their bodies. Giving a weak moan, the father began to sit up, blinking in confusion confused he slowly looked around the arena until hes sights fell on Joey.

Then he began shouting at the Titan, the words may have been lost on him but the tone delivered the message loud and clear, he was angry, confused and was laying it all at the feet of Jericho.

"Mr Wilson," Ra's voice silenced the man who turned upwards to face the demon's head. "You shall once again take control of this man, however. This time I want you to also bring the man's mind back with your own body when you leave."

Joey wanted to explain that such a thing was impossible; it wasn't like taking something from a box and placing it in another. When he entered the body of someone Joey didn't feel their mind, he didn't have to battle to let his way in, it was as if there had never been anyone in there at all, a vacant body. Only Slade had put up a resistance to him, when Joey had tried to enter his father's body and end a fight between the mercenary and the Titans Jericho had hit a brick wall, he had tried to push against it and for his troubles had awoken in his own body with a mild headache.

Once more the cuffed man was grabbed in a headlock and forced to face Joey. The man began shouting again, desperately struggling against the guard. Closing his eyes Jericho once again silently apologised to the father for what was about to happen. Opening them, the two made eye contact and the world momentarily turned black.

Taking possession of the man Joey slowly turned his head up, the guard easing up on the father's neck having understood the process better after an example. Waiting a second Jericho tried to do as Ra's said and locate the man's mind. How he was meant to bring it with him, how he was even meant to sense the father's mind was baffling. For a minute Joey tried, seeking for what he couldn't find. Feeling he had given his best shot at an impossible task, Joey left the father's body.

"Did you make contact with his mind?" Ra's asked, Joey shook his head. Some part of the Titan hopped Ra's would ask for an explanation, give Joey a chance to explain that his powers simply did not work that way. He wasn't a master of the mind, but Ra's didn't ask instead he ordered "You will try again."

And they did, three more times they repeated the song and dance, Joey would possess the man before him, trying to do as Ra's wished, each time he was unable to move or even sense anything that could resemble the man's mind to transfer back to his own body. Each failure was met with Ra's unsympathetic glare, and with each return to his own body Joey saw the father struggle to process it all.

He had never possessed anyone multiple times in such a short span. Joey wasn't sure if this could be hurting the father or merely confusing him with all the memory gaps, but each time the father was given control over his own body again he grew more and more fearful of Joey.

The shouting had stopped, he now looked at Jericho as if he were a monster, and in a way Joey could sympathise, while this was his test, the father was being forced through his own ordeal while his children watched. Now when the guard moved to hold him the cuffed man fought harder than ever, screaming and begging in his native tongue all as he struggled and tried to break the ninja's hold on him.

"Do as I say!" Ra's ordered from on high, anger starting to seep into his voice. "Take control and move his mind into your body."

Joey once again looked into the father's eyes. He apologised again, wishing he could explain to the poor man what he was doing to him, and why.

Opening the father's eyes Joey shook his head, He had failed again, it was beyond frustrating. Jericho knew what was being asking of him, but Ra's seemed incapable of understanding it wasn't possible. He had never even come close to what the demon's head wanted, had Raven been here she might have been able to help him, it was she who understood the mind and its working, he was merely a hitchhiker, someone who could jump from body to body.

Joey was about to return leave the father's body when his entire world went dark. Trying to reach for his eyes the shackles restricted his Jericho heard a crack. Pain tore through his back, Joey attempted to scream but his own muteness was carried over with his possession. The guard flexed the whip and once more brought it down on the father's back cutting skin open.

Joey tried to move, to avoid the sting of the whip but with his hands cuffed to the floor he was all but a sitting duck, unable to avoid the guard's swings. Three more cracks of the whip echoed around the arena, three more times Joey tried to scream at the pain as the father's body he inhabited was cut open. Once the fifth strike had been given the guard wound up the whip, before leaning over the father's body and once again pulled into a headlock.

"You may now return to your own body Mr Wilson."

Joey didn't mean to leave the father's shell. He wished he hadn't, as he stirred in his own body, Joey heard screaming from the father, sitting up his eyelids so heavy, he saw the poor man struggle against his captor as his mind caught up to what had been inflicted onto his flesh. Once more he looked at the blond Titan, failing to understand what had happened or what the blond hero had done, but knew he was responsible.

"I trust you have learnt the lesson." Ra's snapped, his patience starting to thin. Joey nodded submissively, the situation was hopeless, he couldn't do as the madman wished, he couldn't escape without endangering others his only hope now was his friends. But could they find him? Joey wasn't even sure where he was right now, he could be anywhere on earth. "Again!" Ra's ordered.

Once more Joey was asked to do the impossible and at every try he failed.

Every sixth failure earned the father a whipping, each time Joey stayed, taking his own share of the punishment all while praying for an absolution, he didn't believe he could do it. Ra's was asking for water from a stone.

As the whip tore once more into the father's back Joey was almost amazed at how the guard managed to find a new untouched section to strike at. The base of the spine, his shoulders, the sides of his ribs. Every whipping introduced new injuries for the father to discover as he was once again given control of his bloodied body. Each time he would know Joey was responsible somehow, each time as Joey looked from the bloodied man's face to that of his children the Titan felt guilt settle in his mind.

Joey didn't mean to cry from the father's eyes. He hadn't ever done that before, when he returned to his own body the father continued weeping. In a way his and Jericho's torment were one and the same, although out of the two the father was the more expendable. The tyrant could have a whole army of prisoners to choose from should the father die or become unusable.

After what seemed like hours where both Joey and the father were both emotionally and physically exhausted did Ra's call for an end to the test. "Mr Wilson, I am disappointed in your lack of progress. But do not think for a moment I will give up because of your failings. You will accomplish what I have asked." Ra's said rising from his throne. "We will begin again tomorrow and the price for failure will be more than a simple whipping."

Ra's then left them, his assigned guard followed their master out. A snap of Talia's finger rang throughout the arena.

The exhausted and bloodied father was unshackled, the two ninja that had brought him in grabbed a hold and began dragging him back towards the portcullis. The man didn't fight his captors, instead he looked to his children. He whispered something to them, Joey wasn't sure what. He imagined in a similar situation he too would try words of assurance, but what words could be said to comfort anyone in such a situation?

The children called back to their father, distress in their voices. Talia unlike her father didn't order for the children's silence allowing the goodbye exchange to happen before the father was taken from the arena.

Silently Joey's own guards approached him, one moved behind him, the other remained in front. The one from behind slipped a fresh blindfold over Jericho's eyes, not that Joey minded, the dark helped relax him mind from the long torture session he had endured, bringing a sense of oblivion. Besides Joey wasn't even sure if he could take control of someone even if he wanted to.

Never in all his life had he used his power so much in, nor with such results, the father and his pain would live with Joey for the rest of his life. He didn't fight as an arm from each guard hooked under his own and he was carried towards the lift out of the arena. Talia led the march up the stairs as Joey drifted in and out of consciousness, his mind and body craved rest, seeking a state were his guilt, his exhaustion and other un-pleasantries could be cast aside.

Once the guards had carried him up the stairs from the arena they stopped, holding him up in front of Talia.

"Take him to a chamber. Post a constant watch." The guards nodded but she stopped them with a raised hand. "My father's prize is not to be left alone understood?" The guards bowed their heads low, Talia then left, exiting the same way as Ra's did. Taken from the room, the final two guard holding the children lowered the weapons from their throats. They were taken to the cell's below, their role as hostage was complete, for now.

The chamber Joey was sent to would be the kind that would make a millionaire feel cheap, everything about it screamed wealth and elegance. Thrown onto a king sized bed, Joey didn't even notice the fine room as he began fading away the second he made contact with the soft silk sheets.

If he had managed to fight against the exhaustion and suffering of the tests Joey would have found his room was still very much a prison, not matter how luxurious the trimmings. With two guards positioned both inside and outside of the room as well as an additional duo on the balcony beyond the set of reinforced glass doors, along with countless other servants and warriors loyal to Ra's waiting in the wings, Jericho would have found escape difficult even if he were at his best.

* * *

 **Ra's throne room.**

* * *

Talia found her father staring out of the window down at the world below, it wasn't unusual to find him like this, Ra's always came here when he was thinking over a great plot or debating the fate of mankind.

"Are you certain he is capable?" Talia asked, earning only the slightest reaction from him.

"He is undisciplined, he has survived all these years relying on a single trick, never allowing himself to explore other potentials." Ra's was only disappointed now, his anger from earlier long since passed. "It will take time to unlock Joey Wilson's true power. Time I must now fight for."

Talia nodded in understanding, the Titans and Deathstroke would hunt for him, should Robin seek his aid Batman and possibly the Justice League itself could become involved. Ra's al Ghul's power and influence was great, but to engage all these foes would only have one result.

"Father." Talia said, moving beside him taking a moment to study her father's face. He was older than she had thought, soon he would need to take a dip in the Lazarus pit, one of the last uses he could ever make of the sacred pools and Ra's would hold it off till the very last second. "There is still some time left, are you sure Joseph Wilson is the horse you wish to bet on?"

Ra's ceased looking out the large window giving his daughter a look of disapproval. "Your time away leaves much to be desired." Moving to sit in his chair by the window, Ra's shook his head slightly. "Joseph Wilson can save me in a way few can, to be able to transfer my essence, my entire soul into another body, a fresh chance at life. Centuries of chances with him at my disposal."

A thought struck Talia, moving to stand beside her father she looked at him hard, Ra's returned her gaze with his own.

"You wish to keep him?"

"His talents could provide me a new lease on life, a chance to begin again. But with him forever as mu tool I could become eternal."

Surprised, Talia knelt beside her father. "You would really share the Lazarus pit with him?" Ra's nodded, running a hand through his daughter's hair.

"To ensure I could forever guide humanity along the right path, I think I could afford to share some of its power." Talia nodded and slowly rose up, Ra's remained sitting returning to his own private thoughts and scheme's. Talia had almost made it halfway across the room when she stopped and turned back to face her father.

"Father, who is it you have selected for your new body?" For a moment Ra's eyes narrowed, as if angered by the intrusion into his plans. But then he was back to his normal self, expressing nothing at the question.

"For now it does not matter, he will be acquired once I am certain Joseph Wilson can perform the task. It is he requires all my attention."

Nodding, Talia bid her father a goodnight before leaving his chamber. Ra's didn't leave his chair for well over an hour, his mind busy dreaming up possibilities, should he acquire a new body, one of youth and strength matched with his own brilliant mind the things he could do. The world would no longer have to suffer fools as its leaders; he would direct and guide humanity and crush any that opposed him. It might take time, but equipped with a body untouched by the Lazarus pit's waters time was something he would have plenty of.

* * *

While Joey Wilson slept like a rock, Shiva continued to keep an eye on him and his would be rescuers. Since the incident at Gotham, Ra's had ordered counter measures to be prepared in the eventuality the Titans found them. Distraction tactics, crude but when dealing with children whose emotions ruled them quite effective. Already several bases had been given orders should they receive visitors, counter measures were being put in place. It was highly unlikely that the Titans would be stopped but every second the heroes were kept running around was more time for Ra's to unlock the boy's power.

Her eyes leaving the tablet screen she used to convey orders and inspect progress, Shiva took a glance at Joey as he slowly rolled onto his sides. While the assassin may have looked relaxed every sense was on high alert, she knew of the boy's training both at the hands of Robin as well as his own father.

Deathstroke the terminator.

Watching Joey's breathing rate, every single movement he made, Shiva refused to look away until she was certain the boy was truly asleep. Finally after almost four minutes of observation Shiva returned to her task. The Titans would be a challenge and she understood Ra's need to avoid confrontations directly. However a part of her secretly hoped that they would find them, if only due to the recent alliance with Deathstroke.

Shiva had grown tired of challenges, many, many martial artist across the globe had tried to face her, some assuming that their own skill was a match for her own, others wisely avoided her attention. But with every passing year Shiva had found each new fight grew more and more stale.

Even Batman, who Ra's praised and desired as his successor was no match for her. Not that she had ever been allowed a second battle with him since both Ra's and Talia had their own plans for the man.

But Slade Wilson wasn't Batman; he was a killer, a hit man, a mercenary. On paper he was a common gun for hire until you got to the casualty lists, Slade was a monster, a man who could tear through an army, he was skilled, powerful and possessed a great knowledge of combat. Shiva had never encountered the man, but now that his son, his only son was now a prisoner of the league of assassins Shiva had been doing her homework.

Enhanced beyond any human limitation, his speed, strength and endurance were considered metahuman. His weapons training was also quite impressive having beaten many other notable foes. Even Bronze Tiger spoke highly of the man.

She stopped, her eyes turning to the blond boy who had once again stirred in his sleep. The guard inside the room were far too relaxed for Shiva's taste and would be ultimately useless in any confrontation. Watching the boy once again, she knew that no chances could be taken with him.

Sliding a finger across the touch sensitive tablet she moved away from the League of assassins progress and turned to the Justice league's own file on Slade Wilson. Shiva hoped he would be a challenge, someone worth fighting. Scrolling down, she began to read, all while keeping a close watch on Deathstroke's sleeping son.

* * *

 **A/N: So last chapter I might have mentioned I was working on a 2nd project well that is gone due to computer crashes and date damage and so all that time was wasted. :(**

 **On the plus side here is chapter 6. Took me a while to find Ra's voice in my head as nothing I wrote really worked for me, also I promised torture but I may disappoint as I considered going crazy but decided it was not worth going to M rating at this point in time. Nether the less I think Ra's has a few days to play with Joey's feelings/mind/soul.**

 **Shiva vs. Slade? That will be fun. Also whose body do you think Ra's would like to inhabit for the next few centuries?**

 **Next time: The Titans have issues, share their feelings about recent developments whilst they prepare to attack a LOA castle, will they find Joey? Probably not.**

 **Please remember to leave a review, all productive thoughts, suggestions and comments are appreciated. Thanks for reading and hopefully I can bring the next chapter soon. Thank you for helping me get past 1,162 views at the time of writing this, also a big thank you to everyone who reviewed words cannot express how much it means.**


	7. Chapter 7

**T-ship. Sky.**

* * *

Slade appreciated the quiet, since the T-ship had left Gotham silence had been his constant companion, broken by the occasional quick question asked by one of the Titans to another member of the team. So far none of them had asked him anything directly. It was a long trip, from Gotham to the first base was almost eight hours flight time, some of the Titans used the opportunity to catch up on some sleep, others dozed in and out. Only the pilot, Cyborg, stayed awake with Slade throughout the trip.

Sitting in Joey's section of the ship was… odd. Slade wasn't sure if he was meant to sense his son's presence here or not. It was clean, but lacked any personality that the father could attribute to Joey's presence. Not that Slade really knew what his son would keep in his part of the ship or why, he certainly couldn't imagine his son would store snacks there as he had discovered Beast Boy did thanks to the constant opening of packages and wrappers, followed by the sound of exaggerated chewing and swallowing. Thankfully that annoying sound was quickly banished when he discovered how to silence communication between the various sections of the T-ship.

Normally when Slade was flying on a mission he would be doing his homework, studying and planning so come touchdown he was ready. But despite his best efforts Wintergreen had yet to find anything that could be of use to Slade, or the Titans, about the upcoming league of assassin base. There was no footprint to track, no blueprint to find, and no system to hack. Ra's knew how to hide.

"ETA thirty minutes." Cyborg announced over the ship wide communication network, momentarily bringing life to the silent ship. All awake Titans sat up a little straighter, some looked out the window, others checked their gear. Slade did none of this, his gear had been checked three times during the first hour of the flight, and he had been taking glances out the window every half hour, watching as the world transformed around them as the T-ship flew steadily towards their first destination.

"Wintergreen?" Slade asked tapping his in ear coms device wondering if his friend was even awake, it wouldn't surprise him if the old man had decided to also catch up on some much needed sleep during the several uneventful hours of flight time.

"I'm here." Wintergreen replied a few moments later, sounding tired, lacking Wintergreen's normal efficiency and alertness.

"We're thirty minutes away." Slade explained keeping his friend in the loop. He heard the sound of some keys being tapped over the com, before Wintergreen asked.

"Has a battle plan been discussed?"

"No."

Slade was not a hundred percent sure why that was, he had a hunch it had to do with him and the Titans simply were not operating as they would with him present, on the other hand, his experience fighting against the band of heroes had taught him the team often rolled into battle and began adapting to the situation rather than plan hours in advance for a perfect scenario that just never happened.

"Perhaps you should mention it, prevent the first assault going badly." Wintergreen advised, Slade didn't reply. "Need me for anything else?"

"No. You go back to sleep."

"I was not sleeping." Wintergreen defended. "I was deep in thought."

"Uh huh." Slade mocked before he heard the line disconnect. Looking to the communication panel housed in Joey's cockpit the mercenary eyed the various buttons. Taking in a reluctant breath Slade pushed one knowing this wasn't going to pleasant. "Cyborg?"

* * *

 **10 minutes earlier.**

* * *

Cyborg didn't need to sleep like his teammates, that isn't to say he didn't enjoy it and could greatly appreciate a long rest, but thanks to his cybernetic side Victor Stone no longer needed to take a nap when his body got tired. Drawing power directly from the T-ship, Cyborg's body was being fully recharged the same way a laptop would, all while he kept awake and alert at the controls. A beeping drew his focus away from the driving as flashing red light informed him he was being privately contacted.

"Cyborg?" A low voice asked over his built in headset.

"Yeah Rob?" Cyborg replied wondering why their leader was whispering over a private conversation.

"Is this link secure?"

Rolling his organic eye Cyborg put on his best patronising voice. "Yes Robin, the private line between us is secure. Slade cannot hear you."

"Don't underestimate him."

"Stop being paranoid." Cyborg countered. "He's never going to be on my Christmas list but I really don't think he plans on murdering us while we are a few thousand feet in the air."

"I wanted to run a plan by you." Robin muttered, still a little on edge even if all logic to the contrary said Slade was an ally. Meanwhile another flashing light on his control panel caught Cyborg's attention.

"Hold on a second Rob, Starfire wants in on this private conversation." He said flipping a switch, allowing the orange alien access the private chat.

"Cyborg?" She asked.

"Hey Star, Robin's here too fyi. What's up?"

"I was wondering if we had a plan for this mission"

"I'm about to tell Cyborg it." Robin stated, wishing he had been allowed to run it by Cyborg without an audience.

"Oh good." Starfire said, sounding a bit more positive. "I wished to volunteer to be teamed up with Deathstroke."

"Wait what?" Robin yelled, while Cyborg had a little feeling telling him he had just become the third wheel.

"Star are you su-" The machine Titan tried to start, but was quickly cut off by Robin.

"Starfire I am not leaving you alone with him, understand?"

"He needs supervision." The orange alien argued back. "I do not trust him."

"Star I know where your coming from but I-" Cyborg was once again blocked by Robin who was going his full dubbed 'Slade mode'.

"None of us trust him, which is why I need to stick with him to make sure that nobody gets hurt."

This time the machine Titan didn't even bother to comment as Starfire immediately retorted. "You cannot handle Slade."

"Ooooh." Cyborg grinned, knowing that the plan was as forgotten as a new year's resolution.

"What?" The boy wonder screeched. "I know him, I know him better than anyone else."

"That has not helped you in the past, Slade knows you too Robin and if he does betray us, you could not stop him."

Biting down on his finger, trying to contain his enjoyment as Cyborg continued to listen to the duo fighting it out, he would have stayed that way for the rest of the trip if another beeping hadn't distracted him.

"Hey Raven, want a private chat?" Cyborg asked over the bickering Robin and Starfire.

"What is going on?" Raven asked, wincing as the argument continued to escalate in volume.

"Robin wanted to talk about a plan, Starfire wants to be paired off with Slade in case he goes Deathstroke on us, Robin is not happy, Star does not care and I am stuck in the middle of it all, how are you?"

"Better." Raven replied having slept through most of the journey was now fully recovered from her ordeal in Gotham. "How far away are we?"

"One mo." Cyborg said, checking the instruments measuring the T-ships global position. Turning off the radio chatter between the other Titans, Cyborg quickly turned on the overhead speaker connected throughout the ship. "ETA thirty minutes."

Turning off the main speaker he returned to the individual titans conversations. Starfire was explaining how she was the best choice to go with Slade due to her powers and mistrust of the man, Robin was trying to counter argue by pointing out his experience with Deathstroke and how Star's naivety might be used against her. This quickly heated the conversation past the boiling point as the orange alien demanded Robin explain himself.

Switching his focus to Raven the machine Titan grinned. "Like an old married couple huh?"

"Sure fight like one." Raven agreed. "So is there a plan at the minute or?"

"Or." Cyborg confirmed.

"Great." The empath muttered, leaning back in her seat, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"It'll be fine." Cyborg assured her, "Ninja fools won't even see us coming what with the stealth upgrades I've given this baby." He proudly stated, stroking a section of his cockpits systems. "We'll drop in, storm the place and hopefully find Joey. Who knows if we do it right we may be back in time for brunch."

"Yeah." Raven said, not giving Cyborg a vote of confidence with her dry tone.

"Hold on a minute got another call." He grinned as he saw another flashing light indicating he had another private headset request. "Hello?"

"Cyborg." The voice wasn't trying to be threatening, and yet it still managed to make Cyborg shiver as Deathstroke's ever cool voice was broadcasted right into his audio receptors.

"Hey." Cyborg almost shrieked. "I mean. Yes. Cyborg here." He tried putting on an air of professionalism. "Can I help you?"

"Is Robin going to grace us with a plan before contact?"

"Uh." Cyborg stalled, flipping off all other chats between Titan members so he could focus solely on Slade. "I will wake Robin and see if he has come up with anything, okay?"

Deathstroke didn't reply, his line going dead. A second later Cyborg flipped a switch.

"You cut me off." Robin complained, his voice full of anger, he and Star had been going at it hammer and tongs and on any other occasion Cyborg would have been sure to add his own snark to the argument but now wasn't the time.

"Slade's awake and wants to know what the plan is."

"I don't have one because you put Starfire on." Robin hissed back, his mind racing for a strategy that Slade wouldn't shred apart with his own tactical thinking.

"Well think of one!" Cyborg ordered removing his hands from the controls to flex them, easing some of the mounting stress away. "We need to get ready."

"Okay, okay. Who's awake?"

"Everyone but Beast Boy."

"Then wake him," Robin snapped. "I'll think of something."

The line going dead. Cyborg flipped the untouched switch to Beast Boy's headset. The sound of peaceful snoring greeted the machine Titan, who rolled his organic eye once again; of course he would be sleeping.

"Beast Boy!" Cyborg yelled, listening as the green Titan let out a scream of surprise before the sound of a crashing body hit the floor, followed by a groan. "You awake?"

"Yeah." A weak reply was heard.

"Good. Get ready ETA in twenty two minutes."

* * *

 **Secret base #1 of the League of Assassins.**

* * *

They had been told to expect the Titans, they had been told to prepare for Deathstroke, they had even been warned of higher powers such as the Justice League. It didn't matter.

Silver Monkey had done his best with what he had, but what he had wasn't going to help. Thirty eight ninja under his command that is all he had to engage and delay those that sought out Joey Wilson. At best Silver Monkey hoped his forces could injure some of the tougher Titans while perhaps slaying the weaker ones, there was no way he was going to come out of this fight as the victor, but if he did manage to kill a single enemy then the heroes would be weakened and his master would see it as a victory.

Sitting in a lotus position, his sword laid out in front of him, the assassin waited. Someone would come, it could be today, it could be tomorrow. It didn't matter. Shiva had informed him the heroes were on their way and what Ra's expected off him. He would do his duty, for the master.

* * *

"Well Raven?" Beast Boy asked as all eyes watched the meditating empath. Once more she was seeking Joey out through his emotions, trying to locate him inside the castle. Raven eventually shook her head, lowering the team's spirits.

"If he is here, they've found a way to hide him." The empath explained, opening her eyes. The entire team shifted in the snow as they continued to scope out the base. If Joey wasn't here they could risk alerting their current location to the league of assassins, on the other hand after the failed attempt in Gotham it wasn't like the Titans had the element of surprise anyway.

"We have to check it out." Robin said eyeing Deathstroke, as the assassin continued staring at the distant base. The league had taken over an ancient castle built on the side of a mountain and had turned it into one of their many fortresses', inside was a Lazarus pit making it a home away from home for Ra's. "Raven any clue on how many we're up against?"

"No more than forty."

"Then this should be over quickly." Deathstroke commented, striding through the snow towards the castle.

"Wait." Robin ordered, Slade stopped, glancing over his shoulder towards him. "We pair up."

"Oh no." Cyborg muttered bringing his hand over his cybernetic eye, a second later Starfire rose a little of the ground and in a voice that could silence a squabbling courtroom declared.

"I shall be with Deathstroke." Cyborg expected Robin to stop her, to pull rank and partner himself of with his most hated enemy. He knew what Star was up to and half expected the pair to begin squabbling as they had on the T-ship. This time however, Robin was denied a chance as another voice quickly spoke up.

"Dibbs on Raven." All eyes turned to the green Titan who awkwardly looked away as he realised how that might have sounded.

"You did not just call dibbs on me." Raven started to say but she was drowned out by an even louder declaration of dibbs as Starfire pointed at Deathstroke furiously.

"Fine. I get Robin." Cyborg announced moving towards his partner before whispering. "And if you even think to put me on recon I swear I will leave you here in the snow and you can walk home."

"Then we are agreed." Starfire said, throwing Robin a long glare before she moved over to her partner. Realising any chance at salvaging the situation was gone; Robin begrudgingly accepted the way things had played out. But he didn't have to be happy about it; throwing Starfire his own dirty look before giving one to Slade, Robin addressed the team.

"We hit them from all sides at the same time. Be as quiet as possible and get the drop on them. Any questions?" All the heroes shook their heads while Slade remained perfectly still. "Okay. Titans Go!"

* * *

You would think silently approaching a ninja guarded castle in the middle of a snow covered mountain, accompanied by an orange flying alien would be difficult. Slade, while employing the art of stealth hadn't really worried, if they were spotted they were spotted. He would have laid siege to the fortress alone if he had to, anything to get closer to finding Joey, having five heroes backing him up just made it all the easier.

The thing that did bother Slade was the glaring, leading the way, using the environment to his advantage he could feel a pair of pure green eyes following his every movement, had he been someone petty Deathstroke might have called her out on it.

Approaching the south side tower, Slade ran the last stretch, quickly pressing against the stone wall. Starfire followed him mirroring his actions, for a moment he waited, considering scaling the tower himself before checking in with the Titans but the orange alien finally spoke.

"I do not like you." Turning to face Starfire, Deathstroke was once again was met with a cold green glare.

"And here I thought I was your favourite."

"You are mistaken; I know why you are here. I understand why we need you but if you thin-" Slade raised his hand stopping her mid speech.

"Let me guess, hurt my friends I hurt you right?"

"I was thinking of something more severe." The alien's eye narrowed and began glowing. Deathstroke didn't physically react, he knew her too well, she would not risk the mission now, just to play the tough girl act, this was a warning, one that she probably had every intention of carrying out but still nothing more than a threat. A beeping from Starfire's communicator ended the standoff as the alien flipped it open. "Robin?"

"Are you alright?" The leader asked, Cyborg leaning over his shoulder to stare at the screen.

"Everything is fine." Starfire replied, putting some warmth into her words as she momentarily glanced at Slade. "We are in position."

"Okay. Just waiting on Raven and Beast Boy." Robin said, tapping at the keypad to ring the final team. A few seconds later the empath answered.

"All set." She informed.

"Right, prepare to move in three, two, one."

* * *

While Starfire and Cyborg attacked with a series of earth shattering attacks, causing the entire castle to shake under their wrath, Raven and Beast Boy silently flew over the east wall. Moving silently towards the closest door, the duo planned to infiltrate the castle whilst the others became the guards focus. Morphing into a large silverback gorilla, Beast Boy raised his arms high above his head before striking at the door that stood in their way. The obstacle was reduced to a pile of splinters in a single attack.

"Smooth." Raven commented, winching at the noise that had been created by the action, Beast Boy however didn't seem to care, giving her an ape grin.

"I don't think anyone will notice." He smirked as another explosion echoed in the distance, followed by several sonic blasts. "Shall we?" He beckoned to the open door with a hairy paw. Rolling her eyes, Raven entered the castle, Beast Boy hot on her heels as the two began searching for any sign of their missing teammate.

* * *

Delivering two swift punches to the ninja's unprotected ribs, Slade followed through with a powerful strike to his enemy's forehead, taking the man out of the battle. Withdrawing one of the volt guns from its holster, Deathstroke lazily fired two bursts into an approaching duo, who both let out a sharp scream before they too fell to the ground.

He wasn't killing them, but Slade didn't have to play nice either, as he returned the weapon to its holster, Deathstroke turned to see Starfire push her own attackers back with a weak strike, they flew back a few feet, landing hard with a mix of groans and cries. Some foolishly struggled to their feet to try and continue the fight, others remained down, their broken bones and dislocated limbs allowing them to see reason.

Turning away from his 'partner' Slade marched towards another pack of ninja charging towards him. It was too easy, Deathstroke realised as he reached for the power staff on his back, with the Titans assistance the battle was already won and all he was left to do was mop up.

This annoyed him, Slade wanted to feel the rush of adrenaline as he fought, he wanted to stop holding back, he wanted to kill. They deserved it, the men and women who blindly served Ra's al Ghul were no saints and had committed countless atrocities in the name of their great master. But Deathstroke didn't honestly care about any of that, it was just a viewpoint that he might have shared if he was working with anyone else. The truth was simple, they took his son, they should be dead.

Charging up the power staff with energy, Slade ran towards his attackers, twirling the weapon as he did making it quite the spectacle to behold. Two of his attackers slowed at the sight, one halted altogether, the remaining ninja continued running raising their swords preparing to attack.

Continuing to spin his weapon as he ran, building up as much momentum as he could, Slade attacked, swinging the staff like a bat. The weapons struck the side of a ninja's skull the energy sending the man flying away upon contact.

Avoiding a slice aimed at his head, Slade rapidly countered, slamming the staff's head into the ninja's stomach, they let out a groan as they momentarily forgot how to breath. Knocking the winded foe away with a kick, Deathstroke pointed the staff at the three remaining attackers who had foolishly bunched together and were approaching him slowly, hoping to overwhelm him with a coordinated assault.

Pushing down on one of the weapon's hidden buttons all the energy raced towards the head of the staff, before a shrieking ball of purple was fired towards them.

Falling to their knee's screaming, the ninja were spared further torment when their brains decided to sink into unconsciousness rather than face the pain racking their bodies. With a quick final twirl Deathstroke returned the power staff back in its sheath as Starfire approached.

Her face said it all, she disapproved of his methods and style. Deathstroke didn't care, heroes could be hypocrites that way, they would fight their own enemies with brutal efficiency but the moment anyone else did it that was going too far. Turning away from the orange alien, Slade jogged towards the keep of the castle, the sounds of battle had died the moment he had defeated the final group of ninja, which meant Robin and Cyborg had likely cleared out their remaining opponents.

This had been too easy Slade thought, stomping down hard on the back of a ninja who had been trying to pick themselves up.

* * *

The green humming bird darted around the castle with incredible speed, while Beast Boy may lack Raven's incredible mental gifts, it never hurt to see what you can find with your own eyes. The empath was currently walking around the silent castle, her arm stretched out in front of her while her hand was covered in black aura as she sought out any sign of Joey.

Since Gotham, Raven had begun to question how useful her empathy was against the League of assassins. Slade in the past had been able to hide his presence from her, but that was Slade, the guy had never been ordinary, but the woman in the hanger had also displayed the same technique allowing her to get the drop on Raven. How many others could hide themselves from her? Could they extend this mental ability to hide Joey too?

"Nothing here." Beast Boy called as he turned back into his human form, having raced around the castle searching ever room. Raven relaxed slightly. Joey wasn't here, the fortress in the mountains was too understaffed to be the end battle, meaning that the Titans had only managed to defeat a few foot soldiers of what appeared to be a massive organisation and seized control of one meagre castle. Reaching for her communicator, Raven flipped it open, a second later Cyborg answered.

"Any sign of him?" He asked. Robin leaned in, both wore hopeful expressions even if they too had begun to suspect as she had this was only a prelude.

"No." Raven said, taking a glance around the now empty castle, before walking back towards the main hall. "How soon can we leave?"

"Uh." Cyborg answered looking at Robin, who was trying to hide his frustration behind a blank slate, before returning his focus to Raven. "We can go the minute we are all back at the T-ship, but I think we might want to rest up a bit before we got storm another one of these places." Robin silently nodded in agreement, they had been lucky here, catching the guards off balance while they had a low number of fighters, another base might be a completely different story.

"We're on our way back to you now." Raven reported, frowning as she heard the sound of Beast Boy's running footsteps behind her. Closing the communicator, the empath turned to face the rushing titan, she was about to vent out some frustration on his need to run around like he was on vacation, when she froze.

Less than five feet away from Raven, was a man dressed all in black just as the ninja's had been, but what distinguished him from his comrades was the silver mask of a grinning ape. In his hands was a sword that was making a bee line straight for her.

Countless experience from previous battles saved Raven's life as she instinctively produced a shadow shield in front of her. Less than a second later the sword struck, the blade tore through the black wall, heading straight for her unprotected belly.

"Raven!" Beast Boy screamed, charging towards her and her attacker while morphing into a panther. The sword was pushed as far as it could through the shadow wall, but Raven flew backwards, prevented the blade from reaching her.

Stretching out her hands, she focused on the wall, renewing her connection to it, rather than strengthen the pierced defence, she expanded it. Pushing the assassin back, Raven watched as the masked man tried to remove his sword from the wall as a green big cat tore towards him.

Clenching her hands into fists, Raven focused on the weapon stuck inside her barrier. Holding onto the sword, gripping it with her power, she watched as the ninja was forced to abandoned it and roll to the side as the green panther leapt for him.

Beast Boy missed his target by mere inches; Silver Monkey fell into a defensive stance, his hand flying to a smaller blade, hidden on his person. With a challenging roar the green panther slowly crept towards the ninja, all while Silver Monkey slowly backed away, his weapon ready.

Dissolving the shadow wall, Raven flew towards the two. Silver Monkey's sword clattering to the floor, once the defence fell, causing the ninja to shift his gaze away from the changeling. It was a mistake; the moment he moved so did Beast Boy who charged towards the assassin, paws outstretched. The green panther crashed into Silver Monkey, the force of the impact taking the assassin off his feet, the knife slipping from his hands as he was force to grapple with the large cat, all while Beast Boy began crawling at the assassin's armoured left side, whilst sinking his fangs into one of his thrashing arms.

Beast Boy wasn't aiming to kill the guy, but after Joey had been taken and now an attempt on Raven's life he wasn't exactly feeling much in the way of restraint.

Years of training allowed Silver Monkey to fight through the agonising pain, striking hard at Beast Boy's head with his free arm, aiming for the eyes or ears. Meanwhile as he fought to shake the beast of him his mind quickly calculated the damage being done to him. The teeth that were locked around this right arm were painful enough, but the sinking claws that had sliced up his left side could have permanent after effects, possibly crippling him for life.

Blinded by rage as he screamed in pain, Silver Monkey reached out for the fallen blade, only a few taunting centimetres out of reach.

"Beast Boy stop!" Raven commanded, as she too realised the severity of her friend's actions. The green Titan's jaws eased up on Silver Monkey's right arm and the shredding claws ceased. But the panther let out a low growl ready to continue his assault if the assassin tried anything further.

Finger brushing against the blade's handle, Silver Monkey shook in frustration as he continued staring into the forest green eyes of the Titan pinning him against the floor. Once more Silver Monkey touched the handle of the weapon this time he was able to slide the dagger closer gripping it in his hand. Then with near superhuman speed Silver Monkey he attacked intending to bury the weapon deep into Beast Boy's skull.

Unfortunately for Silver Monkey, his blade never reached its target. His entire left arm was coated in Raven's black aura, freezing it in place inches from Beast Boy's head. Eye's growing wide in horror at how close he had come to death, the green panther turned to look at Raven in silent thanks.

Meanwhile the assassin began growling in frustration, every fibre of his being tried to fight against the demon child. He was so close, but Raven held firm, her hands outstretched as her eyes glowed white with power.

"Dude!" Beast Boy whimpered, morphing back into his human form and crawled away from the struggling ninja. A little shook up from his brush with death, Beast Boy wasn't sure if he should run from the ninja or crush him; looking to Raven for an answer she quickly gave him one.

"Restrain." She ordered as her dark aura, spread over the assassin's body. Letting out a scream of resistance, Silver Monkey continued trying to fight against Raven's power. Moving her arms, the empath slowly raised her trapped enemy up off the ground. Beast Boy meanwhile had morphed into a Musk Ox and had lowered his head, preparing to charge.

Silver Monkey could see what was about to happen, but had no power to prevent it, he had failed. His life was all but over; he would spend the rest of his life either rotting in prison, or risk being slain should he ever attempt to return to his master's side. Closing his eyes, he prepared for the knockout blow as the Ox began tearing towards him.

Striking the assassin hard with his head, Beast Boy watched as he flew across the wall, coming to a stop as he crashed into a stone wall before falling to the ground with a satisfying "oomph!"

"You know you could have tried something else." Raven commented, keeping her eyes on the assassin as she walked towards the now human Beast Boy.

"He tried to kill us!" Beast Boy argued back, also watching the still Silver Monkey. "Wh- who was he?" Raven shrugged, he dressed like all the other ninja they had encountered on this trip, but he certainly didn't fight like them. "Might be some kind of boss." Beast Boy theorised, the beginning of an idea forming in his mind. "He might know where Joey is!"

Agreeing with that hypothesis Raven glared at the man, trying to get a read off him in case he was playing possum.

"We'll take him to Robin." She said, stretching out her arm and began once again covering the assassin in her soul self-aura. Once she was sure he was secure both Titans grabbed an arm each and began dragging the still Silver Monkey back towards the main hall.

"Hey Raven?" Beast Boy said, trying to look at his friend over the silver masked head of the assassin, currently in between them. "Thanks for the save."

"You're welcome." Raven replied, the tiniest hint of a smile creeping across her lips.

* * *

Waking up, Silver Monkey felt as if he had been caught in a stamped of angry cattle. His body was sore, his side stung and there was a terrible pain in his right arm. Slowly opening his eyes, the assassin was greeted by the sight of the Titans, accompanied by none other than Deathstroke the terminator. He tried to move but quickly found he couldn't, looking around Silver Monkey found himself bound in a chair, his limbs pinned to the piece of furniture with Robin's own grapple hook wire. They wanted to interrogate him, another time and the assassin would have tried to mock them, but right now, he wasn't sure if he even had the strength to speak.

"Silver Monkey." Robin announced, earning the assassin's attention. "I'm going to keep this simple, so nod if you understand me." The leader of the team paused before continuing letting his words sink in. "We are going to ask you some questions, tell us the truth and my friend will heal your injuries. You will have no scars, no unhealed wounds, nothing. You will be fine." Silver Monkey's eyes widened behind his mask, turning his head a little to the right he saw Raven, glaring at him. "Refuse to answer my questions." Robin said, making the assassin return his focus onto him. "And we will call in the Justice League, they will take you and your men away and it could be some time before you get medical attention and I promise you it won't be anywhere near as potent as my friend's abilities are."

The masked assassin thought about his situation and thought about it fast. If he refused the boy would do as he said, and such an action would lead to that life in a cell, a life as a potentially weakened man. He could lose everything, freedom, his position in the league and his ability to fight. In short his life. But if he accepted the boy's ability his honour would be tarnished, to give up his masters secrets would earn Ra's al Ghul's wrath and then his life really would be over.

Then again, how would the boy know if he was lying?

Still unsure if he possessed the ability to speak, Silver Monkey nodded, gathering his strength, praying he could speak clearly enough to be heard, while having the mental prowess to shield his emotions from the empath.

"Why does Ra's want Joey?"

That was easy to answer, he didn't know. Ra's hadn't told him of his plans, only why the Titans and others might come looking for him, the masters plans were his own and thus Silver Monkey was unable to betray him.

"I do not know." Robin glanced at Raven who nodded her head. She then reached for the bound assassin, who let out a hiss of breath as her hands touched his clawed side. The pain was gone in an instant, his injuries felt as if Silver Monkey had been submerged in cool water, it was incredible. But as quickly as it had come it ended, Raven pulled away from the man and with it her magic touch. And while his injuries felt far better Silver Monkey knew he was far from being healed completely.

"Where is Ra's?"

"I do not know." Silver Monkey repeated, lowering his head to stare at the stone floor. "The master did not contact me."

"Who did?" Robin asked, his voice demanding but still keeping a neutral tone, shouting simply was a waste of energy at this stage of the questioning.

"I answered a question. You must heal me." Silver Monkey looked up at the Titans, noticing their dissatisfaction with his answer. "That was the deal." Out of the corner of his eyes, Silver Monkey though he saw Deathstroke shift, but he didn't get a second look as Raven approached his injured side. Once again the healing felt marvellous and Silver Monkey could almost feel his side's knitting themselves back together, the pain vanishing, leaving only his mauled arm, and bruised chest to be fixed.

"Who contacted you?" Cyborg asked a hint of anger in his voice.

"Lady Shiva, she knew you would be coming." Silver Monkey took a moment to look over the group. "She also has been doing her homework on you, all of you." The assassin made sure to give Deathstroke an extra-long stare before returning his attention to Robin. "Heal me." He demanded.

Raven didn't move, once again the heroes were unsatisfied with the answer but Silver Monkey also noticed another expression dance over the face of Robin, fear. Shiva had spoken of how she had met the boy wonder before, it would seem she had done quite the number on him.

"Raven." Cyborg nodded towards Silver Monkey's bloodied arm. The empath's glare didn't fade as she once again began undoing the damage Beast Boy had inflicted on the assassin.

Flexing his right hand finger, Silver Monkey tried to analyse is there was any damage, surprisingly there wasn't, it was if he had never been injured at all. The Titans had patched him up all for a bunch of worthless intel. "Anything else?" He asked, grinning from behind his mask.

Robin racked his brains, going in circles would not aid the Titan's or the search but he had to be sure he had squeezed all useful information out of Silver Monkey before he called in the Justice League.

"Maybe," Silver Monkey teased, watching with increasing delight as the team grew more and more frustrated with him. "you should ask me if your friend is even alive."

Starfire's eyes ignited with green energy, Beast Boy's lips drew back exposing his fangs, Cyborg flexed his fingers and while he couldn't be sure, for a second Silver Monkey could have sworn that he saw a flash of red from underneath Raven's hood.

"If the master does not wish to be found, he shall be as one invisible." The bound assassin chuckled, as Robin's domino masked eyes, narrowed. "You will never see your son again."

Once again the Titans anger grew and Starfire began to advance on Silver Monkey, but was stopped by the glaring Robin. To Silver Monkey's disappointment Deathstroke didn't react at all, even though the last taunt had been directly aimed at him, the assassin was actually amazed, was the black and orange clad killer really so cold?

"This is a waste of time." Cyborg snapped, turning to Robin. "Let call in the Justice League and have these guys carted off to the nearest maximum security prison and get back to what we should be doing."

"Agreed." Slade nodded his voice surprisingly calm lacking any of the frustration or anger the other Titans were expressing.

"Team?" Robin asked, looking at Beast Boy, Raven and Starfire for their thoughts.

"This guy has nothing useful to tell us." The empath growled.

"Let us return to finding Joey." Starfire said, Robin turned to Beast Boy who nodded in agreement.

"Alrighty." Cyborg tried to put on a cheerful voice as he began walking away from Silver Monkey. "I'll got get the ship, Robin you make the call and we can be out of here in a jiffy."

The rest of the Titans began following Cyborg, leaving only Robin and Slade behind. The boy wonder wasn't about to leave Deathstroke alone with a man who just insinuated Joey being dead. But Slade continued to stand, waiting, making no sign of leaving or anything to indicate he was about to attack.

"Robin?" Starfire called, watching the two men continue to stand near the bound Silver Monkey.

"Slade." Robin spoke, earning the masked mercenary's attention. "He is not worth it."

It was a complete lie; all of the Titans would gladly have beaten Silver Monkey as if he were a training bag, Robin included. But while they might have left the assassin battered and bruised, Deathstroke would leave only a bloodied corpse, if they were lucky.

Giving Robin the cold stare the boy wonder had come to know from countless encounters, Deathstroke's hand slide towards his holster, before falling away. Turning the orange and black clad man turned and left, moving past Starfire and following after Cyborg towards the T-ship.

Watching Deathstroke until he vanished from sight Robin turned as he heard a cruel chuckle.

"Lot softer than I imagined he would be." Silver Monkey said, shaking his head as if he were disappointed.

"You're lucky." Starfire replied, moving to stand next to her leader and friend. "If we were not here, you wouldn't be either."

"Slade doesn't forget, Monkey." Robin warned as the two began walking after their friends. "And he isn't the forgiving type either."

* * *

Engines roaring with power as the T-ship slowly rose away from the now liberated Castle. The Justice League had been notified of what had happened and promised to send members as soon as possible. Once the vessel had moved far enough away from the fortress the engines gave another roar as the mighty vehicle once again soared through the sky, the next League of assassin's base as their target.

Slade had silently returned to Joey's cockpit. Unnerved by the man's behaviour Raven had returned to her own part of the ship and was now in deep meditation, preparing to try and get a read on the normally allusive man's emotions.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos." She chanted, slowly feeling her mind drift from her body. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

Raven saw her friend's emotions as clear as always, although after the mission none of them were in high spirits, then there was Slade. Since their first meeting Raven had never been able to get much of a beat on the man. He had been the one to introduce her to the idea that people could shield their minds from her after all, but now he was readable.

Rage, that was the strongest emotion coming from the man, one that didn't surprise her. Raven had expected Deathstroke to try and kill Silver Monkey for what he had said, instead the man had kept it bottled up, perhaps in an attempt to prevent the tense alliance between himself and the Titans from collapsing, nevertheless with no outlet the rage Slade felt was being stored up inside, a bad idea for such a passionate emotion, especially in an individual such as Deathstroke. Raven made a mental note to warn her fellows about it.

There were other emotions to; hidden beneath the chaotic storm that was Slade's anger. It didn't take long for Raven to locate the second; it was fear that was feeding into Deathstroke's anger, becoming part of the source for the stronger emotion clouding the mercenary's mind. It didn't take the empath more than a second to know that Slade's fear was not for himself but for his son and the fate that might befall him.

All of the Titans worried for Joey, so far none of them, Slade included, couldn't think of a reason why Ra's would target Jericho. Silver Monkey speaking their private fears out loud certainly hadn't helped anyone, Raven could sense strong fear coming from both Starfire and Robin as the continued to fly towards the next destination. The final and smallest emotion, so small that Raven almost couldn't find it, it was there for only a few seconds, bobbing on the surface of Slade's mind before vanishing, then returning a few minutes later only to once again disappear.

It took a while to finally focus on the elusive emotion but once Raven was able to grasp it she quickly identified she was familiar with all emotions but it still surprised her to find what was infecting a small piece of Slade's mind. Sadness, something had stirred the emotion deep within the mercenary's mind, something that Slade seemed to be trying to rebury.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry for the delay, laptop problems are a delight.**

 **Once more I thank everyone for the support they give to this fic. The reviews always mean so much to me, and I try and respond to them all. Also, Slade is a** **patient man so if anyone was disappointed that Silver Monkey did not get a beating, it may come around later, it just didn't serve the plot at the time to write it, I tried and it didn't work. How did people feel about the fights? This is something I would really appreciate feedback on.**

 **Next Time: Ra's tests Joey again expecting better results, both Wilson's begin to remember a time before the Titans, and who is Grant Wilson?**

 **Thank you all for reading, really pushing me past my personal goals and if you enjoyed, have a thought or wish to share something please leave a review. I read all of them and will always try and reply.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Testing ground.**

* * *

Deja vu, that was the best way Joey could describe what was happening, once again he was down in Ra's arena, facing a man who had done him no wrong. Everything was exactly the same as before. At least on the surface. Joey wasn't sure how long he had slept but his body was telling him it wasn't nearly long enough, the pain and misery from before were still fresh in his mind. And now it was about to be replayed all over again, all so a madman could see if he could do the impossible.

Watching as the father was chained to the floor before him, Joey studied the man, he too was weak and tired, probably getting even less rest, thanks to the open wounds on his back, left untreated by Ra's men.

"Mr. Wilson." Joey didn't look up, instead staring at the stone floor he knelt on, taking in all the blemishes and details. "We will continue from were we left off. However this time failure will have a stiffer price to pay."

Joey wanted to laugh, a stiffer price? Torturing a man in front of his children wasn't enough? A scream suddenly rang out causing both Joey and the father to look up in horror, the little girl, who Jericho had hopped had only been brought along as a hostage was being gripped roughly by her captor.

The guard was trying to grab onto one of the child's fingers, all while keeping his iron grip on her and preventing escape. The father began to cry out at the man, the boy did too, but the guard ignored them as he continued with his own task. Pulling out a single digit on the child's hand he quickly wrapped one of his arms around the girl's throat while he pulled her arm in close giving him reach. The guard then produced a single shiny blade. The message was too horrifyingly clear.

"Shall we begin?" Ra's cruel voice asked from above.

Joey didn't move, he couldn't. The task before him was impossible and now a child would be maimed if he failed? Suddenly Jericho felt sick, he couldn't breath right and everything was a little fuzzy. He tried to suck in new air but nothing seemed to be helping, he would have perhaps been worried about this had not his mind been invaded by fear for another.

How could someone do this? Torture a child to get an answer that didn't exist, Jericho was not the cure for death, he had never carried souls around with him. Ra's was insane or desperate, either one made him unable to see a truth that Joey wished he could scream at him.

"All you need to do, is as my father wishes." A voice whispered in his ear, Joey didn't jump although he was completely surprised by the sudden intrusion of his personal space. A pair of soft hands landed on either side of his face, and gently directed his vision away from the girl who was about to be permanently injured due to his failures, and made him look at the father, who's own look of horror and despair made Joey feel, if possible, even worse. "Focus on what you need to do," Talia explained, as if it were that simple. "Do not think, do."

While his own body continued to heave as Joey experienced what could only be described as a mental and physical crisis, Joey stared into the father's eyes as he was forced to stare back by one of Ra's ninjas.

'Do not think, do?'

Joey had tried, he had tried to do it right and wrong, he had done as he always did and tried clearing his mind. Nothing had worked. Joey was a body snatcher, he could take a body, not a soul, this was impossible.

And when he failed, a child would be made to suffer.

It was strange, Joey had been in many do or die situation in his time, and he had challenged them all head on, he was a hero. Someone who would give his life to save others, but this was different. His life wasn't on the line and wouldn't, until Ra's knew without a doubt that Joey was incapable of aiding him. Instead, innocents would be harmed instead, their blood would be on his hands.

Closing his eyes, Joey made a silent prayer, he didn't know what it was he was expected to do anymore, climb inside someone and take everything they were out with him?

Opening his eyes Joey felt himself slip inside the man's body. Just as always, there was nothing, no meeting of the minds, no clash of spirits, nothing. He had failed.

* * *

 **Flashback**

* * *

"Failure to comply will result in your termination." The great and feared Grant Wilson barked as he hoisted his younger brother to his feet, the nine year old general had just captured an elusive spy and was ensuring his prisoner was detained correctly by escorting him to his prison.

Said prison was a tree with some rope that Grant would tie Joey up with until he got bored and let his brother go so he could go find him again.

To say it was a game implied that either participant treated it like one, for Grant it was serious, he was a hunter, he would do all in his power to seek out the spy hidden in his territory and prevent him escaping to the safety of their home. Joey on the other hand had long since grown tired of the game, but Grant refused play anything else, he needed to train hard he had said for when he became a real soldier.

It was the family business. War was in the Wilson's blood. And Joey wasn't exactly fond of the idea.

"Prisoner will stay silent until I say otherwise!" Grant yelled as he tied Joey's hands behind the tree, once he was sure the crude knot would keep his younger brother still for a while he moved back to face him and sat down on an upturned bucket. "You could have hid better you know."

"There is nowhere left to hide." Joey explained, after playing so many times, the places Joey could use to avoid his brother were limited and he had refused to use any of the spots Grant hadn't discovered yet, they were best kept secret to be used when Grant was in a foul mood, where he tended to be much rougher. "We should play something different."

Grant shook his head. "You need to learn how to climb tree's, if you could it would be more exciting." Joey knew what had sparked this, yesterday evening Uncle Wintergreen had told them of a time he and their father had hidden up a large tree, spying on an enemy camp for several hours. Grant's eyes had been as wide as saucers whenever the duo experienced a close call, narrowly avoiding being spotted.

"Good afternoon General." A voice called out, causing Grant to rise from his bucket. Offering a salute Uncle Wintergreen let his presence be known, the elder brother grinned, Joey looked away, he had learnt some time ago asking for help didn't impress his brother much, earning his scorn. "So what is happening here?" Wintergreen asked, looking at Joey.

"I caught him." Grant boasted, "He's a spy for the enemy."

"I see," Wintergreen nodded, circling the tree, making sure to check that the younger boy's hands were not tied to tight, Adeline would not be pleased if the five year old had rope burns on his wrists. "Your father is en-route home, perhaps you should release the spy and prepare to greet him?"

Grant nodded and quickly did as he was asked before tearing off to the house to wait for his father. Joey, now free waited a moment before he began walking after his brother, Wintergreen trailing behind him. He timed his arrival into the house well if purely by accident.

Both Grant and his mother were standing ready to greet Joey's father as his car pulled up to the large Wilson house. Suddenly feeling a pair of hands slip under his arms, Joey was hoisted up by Wintergreen who lowered the boy onto his shoulders, and carried him towards the front door which was opened to reveal Joey's father standing there with a small smile.

"Welcome home."

* * *

Joey felt like he had been stuck in a blender, boiled, then left to mold, in short he felt terrible. Opening his eyes, he quickly discovered that he had successfully once again invaded the fathers body, the strange thing was that he was lying on his back with a small group of guards surrounding him.

Talia was leaning over him, her eyes shielded with non-reflective goggles It took Joey a second to realise she was talking to him, with her mouth moving but no words reached his ears. Trying to observe his surroundings Joey saw the girl, her eyes flowing with tears as she watched him. He didn't move, Joey couldn't. He had once again failed and-

His train of thought was interrupted as Talia reached for his neck or in this case the fathers, a few seconds later she pulled away and lowered her head over his chest. Panic, if he could describe her expression in one word Joey would have chosen that, the woman immediately began shouting to the guards who had surrounded him, who began moving immediately.

Then it was Joey's turn to panic, he hadn't felt her. He still couldn't feel her as Talia's rose of him and began to do a maneuver Joey had become quite familiar with during his time as a hero. She was giving him CPR, why? And why was it Joey couldn't feel anything? Had something happened to the father?

He tried to move, raise an arm, sit up, kick out anything. Nothing happened, Joey's mind may have been racing a mile a minute as things hurtled towards a dark possibility. Had the stress, the injuries and the constant invasions all been too much for the man?

What if he was dead?

Would he be trapped like this forever? In the body of a corpse, unable to jump free? Could he jump free?

Joey hadn't yet tried, and immediately willed himself out of the father's body in a desperate bid for life. He wanted out, out of the weighted soundless world he had fallen into when he had tried to possess the man.

Nothing happened.

Joey tried again, and the terror that gripped him increased a thousand fold now as he the truth dawned on him. He was trapped in a lifeless bod-

Sound, touch, and an over whelming pain struck Joey at once, the noise was the father's voice, screaming. Through touch Jericho momentarily felt everything, the stone floor he was lying on, the hands touching him, a cold stabbing pain in his skull.

Joey wasn't sure if he willed it, or it was merely a delay from his two other attempts at leaving the father's body but he quickly found himself free from his prison. Finding himself on his feet for a brief second, before his knee's buckled falling back onto the stone floor.

They were on him in less than a second; Talia immediately asking him what had happened while the guards quickly pinned Jericho's numb body. The father was forgotten, left on the floor a few feet away.

"Wil-!"

Joey tried to focus, but he was being pulled in all directions, the guards continued to hold him down, preventing him from using sign, while he kept trying to look over to the father, hoping to see man's chest moving, but every time he tried to look away from Talia, a hand shot out and forced him to face her. Then there was the pain.

When he had tried to invade Slade's body. It was as if Joey had ran into a brick wall, pure blunt force impact. This was different, it was if someone had taken a knife, threw it in freezing water, left it, then plunged it into his brain.

"W-a- happ-n-"

The question that haunted him was why. Nothing he had ever done had resulted in that kind of pain, Joey had possessed criminals, monsters, one or two aliens and had even body jumped into Raven on one occasion, and none of them had ever left him with such a painful present upon leaving, crunching his eyes shut he tried to fight the nagging injury in his head, if anything the pain only increased ten fold.

"Wil-o-"

The pain vanished.

* * *

 **T-Ship.**

* * *

Grant.

Slade hadn't thought about him in a while. It wasn't easy, when someone dies they leave a hole. The text book answer would be to fill it or make peace with the loss, move on. Slade hadn't done that. He had just ignored the hole, and had been doing so for a long time.

Now, he couldn't, it had become impossible, Grant was in almost every thought that entered Slade's mind and each time he would try to block it out or clear his mind of his eldest son a far worse idea entered instead. "It's all your fault."

This wasn't true, Slade was aware of his own hand in Grant's downward spiral for sure, but other factors had resulted in the final picture, the Titans, the H.I.V.E organisation, hero worshiping, Grant's own idiocy. Slade had accepted his role, but he wasn't about to bear the entire burden. Joey wasn't going to die like Grant did. Easier said than done, but it was perhaps his only comfort right now. Slade knew the situation was bleak for his son, he was in the hands of a self righteous psychopath who believed he was the big fix to the world problems, bleak was perhaps too light a word to describe how in danger Joey was but still, there was a chance.

Slade had seen how Ra's worked and knew the man didn't operate unless he knew for certainty what it was he was doing. So far the League of assassin's master had been trying to delay the Titans, meaning he didn't wish to be found and interrupted. They had some time, time to track him down from whatever rock Ra's was hiding under.

Joey wouldn't die like Grant. Slade could save him. He had to save him.

Slade found for a few brief minutes that his mind became clearer, Grant no longer haunted his thoughts instead, Joey, his son, was the only person on his mind. Slade hadn't ever been a big believer in what if's and almost's. If he were, the alternative paths in his life would lead him to be a lot happier, his family too. He also wasn't a fan of redemption, how an good action could erase a bad one.

Saving Joey wouldn't make up for his past failings with his son, Joey wouldn't suddenly forgive him and want him around, Slade wouldn't even humor such a idiotic notion, his son would see him as either the monster under the bed, or the father that didn't care. Either face he wore would be a unpleasant image for his son. Once Joey was saved that would be it.

He would vanish again, leave his son to his own devices. It wasn't a happy ending but Slade knew he didn't deserve one.

Joey wasn't going to die like Grant. He could save him, he would save him.

Reaching out with one hand, Slade's fingers brushed over the eye patch he wore on his left side.

* * *

 **Flashback**

* * *

"I'm leaving."

Joey wasn't surprised, his brother had been planning this for a while now and clearly had put more thought into this than most ideas, now standing in Joey's bedroom the elder brother seemed ready to put his master scheme into action. Still Grant really wasn't as prepared as he should have been. Reaching out for his nearby pad and pencil, Joey began to scrawl down his most immediate question.

 **"Where are you going?"**

Grant frowned and turned away from his younger brother choosing to stare out the window, perhaps disappointed in the basic question he was presented with. "I'm not telling, I know you. The moment mom starts to worry you'll let it slip."

 **"Why are you leaving?"**

Grant glanced over his shoulder to quickly read the new note, unlike his parents, he hadn't mastered sign, finding it an irritating process. What bothered him more was how his brother becoming mute in the first place, the truth being kept hidden from him. Joey had been sworn to secrecy following the incident and while both children were now aware of their father's activities, Grant was still ignorant of what happened that night, not that he really cared. Or so he said.

"I've got a job."

Joey did a double take, that was it? For weeks his brother had been planning and packing, finally for-filling the long talked about dream of leaving the house he grew up in, all for a job. There was a million other reasons Joey could accept, his father being chief among them, it was no secret the two's relationship had all but collapsed and Grant had even tried to start a fight with him the last time Slade had been home. A job? No, Joey didn't believe it for a second.

 **"What jo-"** Joey didn't even get to finish writing the next question. As Grant had already guessed it and moved away from the window, slowly making his way to center of Joey's bedroom. Grant always did have a flare for the dramatic.

"You know how we were told our parents were these great heroes? Soldiers of peace and all that crap?" Joey nodded, unsure of where this was going, Grant's face lit up with a smile that would have made a slasher villain jealous. "It's all lies, they were butchers and our dear old daddy is the greatest one of all. We used to think being soldiers was in our blood, it wasn't. It was killing. That is what we Wilson's were born to do." He stopped and took a slow look around his brother's room, his eyes falling on the several pieces of art that Joey had created. "Well most of us."

Joey didn't know what to say, something that pleased Grant to no end as he slowly made his way back over to the window. Twirling his pen in his hand, Joey tried to think of what to say following that, enlightening, speech. Eventually all he managed with the simple question of.

 **"Your going to join the army?"**

Grant laughed, it had been a while since Joey had last heard that sound. Head thrown back, Grant let lose a long loud bark of amusement. "Oh God." He managed before he was overtaken by laughter once again. Joey only watched, as his brother worked his way through the action. "No." He waved a hand, as if he were batting away invisible attackers. "No Joseph I am not going to be anyone's little toy soldier. But," Grant's tone suddenly got low and dangerous. "I will be making front page news if I play my cards right. Keep an eye out little brother, you'll see."

Standing up, Joey tried to act as casual as he could under the circumstances, his eyes never left Grant who watched him like a wolf would a sheep. Joey didn't make any sudden movements, or try and give any indication of what he was about to do. If he moved for the door his brother would stop him, it was impossible to get help as no one but the two of them was home.

Grant had chosen his big reveal well as by the time their mother was home. The wayward son would have had four hours head start on them.

The only way to prevent his brother from leaving to become, well Joey wasn't quite sure what his brother had planned but he knew it sounded wrong. Killing, throwing away his childhood dream of becoming a soldier, and talking about making the news. Joey's mind came to dark conclusion, each one worse than the last. He had to stop him, Grant was his brother and while no one would ever accuse them of being close, he still didn't want to see him become some sort of criminal or worse. Weighing up his options, surprise was all Joey had. Slowly he began to walk towards Grant, scribbling down on the pad.

 **"What should I say when they ask?"**

Grant shook his head as he read the final question. "I don't care." He paused, a light bulb turning on in his head. "Wait, tell Dad I'll being seeing him real so-"

Joey struck, his kick was swift and on target, with Grant's eye widening as he realised he had been duped. Clasping at his groin as he let out a howl of pain. Both had been taught hand to hand combat since they were seven, and nothing they had learnt had proved that a opening strike to the crotch was a bad idea. As Grant fell to his floor Joey knew he only had a precious few seconds before his brother fought through the pain and rose up. Once he did, the younger brother wasn't going to have much time.

Moving like a gazelle, Joey fled the room and all but flew towards the nearest telephone. Uncle Wintergreen was his best bet, and while he couldn't use morose code to communicate with the elder man, Grant would easily make enough of a fuss to get the message across. From their, it would only take the old soldier a few minutes to arrive.

Speaking of Grant.

If Joey moved like a gazelle, swift and weightless, then his elder brother would have to have moved like a ox, big, loud and surprisingly fast. Running into the kitchen, Joey began to dial the number. Heart in his throat, Joey frantically put in the last two digits, only to be greeted by the lifeless dialing tone, he didn't have long. Two seconds, four tops. Then Grant would be upon him.

It dawned on Joey then and there that going into the kitchen where countless blunt and sharp weapons, to make a stand against his enraged elder brother might have been a poor move. Grant proved this right a whole second later as he burst into the kitchen, a whirlwind of rage and adrenaline. Phone pressed to his ear still, all Joey could hear was the same lifeless dial, and the ragged breathing of Grant.

Then Grant began clapping. Heavy and over the top, Joey's brother was incapable of being sarcastic or subtle right now. "Smart yeah, real smart." Grant praised him, slowly approaching the cornered Joey. "Call someone, what you gonna tell them?"

Joey slipped into a defensive stance, that only delighted his attacker, Grant loved to fight, he always had.

"Hello?" Joey thanked his lucky stars as the voice of Uncle Wintergreen spoke from the other side of the line. With the second stage of his plan now in action, Joey did something many would consider suicide, he attacked Grant for the second time that day. Unfortunately, his older brother wasn't caught of guard again.

Joey, whilst keeping the phone in his hand, had tried to land a punch on his brothers face, tried. Grant saw the attack coming and countered, knocking Joey's punch off course, before throwing his own. Joey was knocked backwards, his ears ringing as he stumbled. Everything was foggy and the worst thing was this was only the start. A second later, the air was driven from his lungs as his unprotected chest became Grant's next target.

Winded, Joey gasped for breath, no longer even sure if he still held the phone. He had known a fight between them wouldn't end well, but he had hoped to last a little longer than two hits. A pair of hands latched onto Joey's shoulders, dragging him to his feet.

The next second, Joey was thrown across the kitchen, the entire world becoming an even greater distorted blur. Falling down hard, Joey tried to stand. A well placed kick to the ribs from Grant prevented that as the younger brother became a gasping mess on the floor.

"I wasn't expecting a goodbye hug." Grant hissed, trying to calm himself, to push down the desire for violence that surged within him. "But this?" He shook his head and backed away from Joey, who was still struggling to breathe. "Not smart."

Grant considered a boot to the face, to send his brother off to the land of nod but thought better of it. Striding past his fallen brother, Grant returned upstairs and gathered his things, time for him to leave, and while he would have preferred to have given his dad a good thrashing. Joey was still a good leaving present.

Marching up to the front door, Grant watched as Joey stumbled out of the kitchen after him.

"Seya." Grant saluted, as Joey tried to close the gap between them on unsure legs, he only managed a step before he fell to his feet, darkness taking him.

* * *

 **Medical lab,** **Secret base #3 of the League of Assassin's.**

* * *

Joey Wilson wasn't responding.

He was alive and well, all tests proved that. But for the time being he was dead to the world. Ra's wanted answers, but even he could not command his doctors to perform miracles, no matter what they did, Jericho continued to sleep.

It had been three hours now since the trial and nothing had changed. Talia continued to watch over the sleeping hero, and with every passing minute her father's anger grew as he saw his plans wither away. If Joey was locked in some sort of comma, then he was useless to Ra's worse yet, the Titans continued to search for their friend and without Jericho's power Ra's great rise was for nothing.

Then there was Deathstroke. Talia could only imagine the horror the monster would inflict upon them when he discovered his son's condition.

Watching the steady flow of the Titan's heartbeat Talia continued to watch, wait and pray.

* * *

 **T-ship.**

* * *

Raven would never admit what she had been doing to anyone. It was considered a taboo and something that really made ordinary people so fearful of psychics, not that she was one but the concept was more or less the same. She had been spying on Slade's private thoughts. Since he had returned to the T-ship, the one eyed killer had been easier to read than ever before. His emotions were laid out before her, open, unguarded and genuine.

Robin, if he knew what she was doing, would want a full update on the mental state of Slade. If she had to give it Raven would probably have summed it up as, a mess. That is all Slade was now, a tangle of thoughts and feelings, gone was the precise and calculating mind, now he was confused, angry, hurt, sad and more. And Joey was to blame.

It surprised her, Truly. Slade had said on several past occasions that he cared for his son, she had seen firsthand how in combat, Slade would actually pull his punches against Joey, but that didn't prevent Deathstroke from throwing them in the first place. In his own messed up way, Slade did love his son, or at least has some serious mental attachment to him.

Raven shifted in her seat, remembering where she was. Spying on Slade wasn't fun, but it was interesting and while she had promised herself she wouldn't have more than a quick peek, the empath had found herself spending every second during the flight from the first LOA base to the next checking up on Slade. Maybe it was because she was bored, maybe it was because this was her first and quite possible last chance at examining the assassin or maybe, just maybe it was because Raven had a question.

Could a monster like Slade really love Joey?

"Guys." Cyborg's voice pulled Raven from her task, a second later and she discovered she was no longer able to sense Slade's pressence. The man had put his walls back up. "We're coming up to our next stop. ETA Twenty minutes."

* * *

 **A/N So the first draft of this chapter was over 9,000 words. CRAZY! And after someone suggested I cut down the chapter length I decided this chapter might be best served in two sections. I had a plan to do only thirteen chapters, but it was not a law and could be make for a better read.**

 **Thank you all once again for feedback, I will continued to talk about how much I appreciate them until the day I am dragged away from my keyboard.**

 **Next time: Joey wakes up and success? Titans arrive at secret base #2 and Deathstroke's vendetta against the Titans revealed!**

 **Like? Please review, it means the world and I always want to hear my readers thoughts.**


	9. Chapter 9

**"Bold speech" indicates Sign language.**

* * *

Waking up to the constant and steady beeping of his heart monitor, Joey, for a brief pure moment dared to think that the nightmare was over. Such an idea was destroyed the second his eyes opened and he came face to face with Talia.

Leaning over him, once again wearing the non-reflective goggles Talia studied him for a short second, like a bird might a worm. When Joey tried to sit up she gave him room, returning to a bedside seat. Other than herself there were three doctors present, covered from head to toe in white, standing a respectable distance away, watching the young hero with anticipation.

"How are you feeling?" Talia asked, as Joey took in his surroundings. Ra's medical facilities could have been mistaken for any hospital interior in the civilised world. It was white, clean and sterile, even the sickening smell of disinfectant was there, burning Joey's nostrils as he took in a breath. Flexing his fingers Joey answered with his own question.

 **"I am fine, what happened to the man?"**

Talia didn't answer, following only her own line of enquiry. "You gave us all quite the scare Mr. Wilson and for a moment we all feared the worst." Joey was amazed his eyes didn't roll on their own accord as Talia tried to sound concerned. "Can you tell us what happened?" No he couldn't. Joey had no idea what happened other than…

 **"There was a voice in my head."**

Talia's face displayed no visible reaction, no twitch from the corner of her mouth, no change in his sitting position, nothing. Joey was willing to bet even if he could see her eyes, the woman would have remained perfectly still, having undergone years of training to remove such easy tell signs.

"Was it the man whom you tested with?"

 **"What is his name?"** Joey asked, hating how Talia didn't use it.

"Such details are irrelevant; did you hear his voice inside of your head or another?"

 **"Yes, it was him."** Talia nodded, as if that somehow cleared everything up, when in reality all Joey had was more questions. **"What happened to me and the man?"**

"I believe you did as my father asked, you had a meeting of the minds." Joey, not being satisfied with such an answer pressed her for a more detailed expiation.

 **"It hurt. It hurt me and I think it hurt him. He was screaming and he needed help."**

"I see, the pain you spoke off may have been a one off and under the circumstances," Talia turned to give the doctors a glance. "we believe that there is no chance of a second incident."

 **"Why?"**

"The man who was your test partner suffered a heart attack when you entered his body. With you most likely at the helm, his mind didn't process what was happening to his him, nor could yours and you both simply went into shock." Talia rose from her chair, pulling a device from her belt. "Such pain is unlikely to occur in the next trial."

 **"What happened to him?"** Joey asked, worry washing over him but Talia turned her back to him, deciding the conversation was over, and began to walk away talking in a foreign tongue into what Jericho could only assume was a private communication device. As she left the room, the doctors moved towards Joey in a manner that reminded him of more than one bad B-movie that Beast Boy had forced him to sit through. Slow, cautious but with purpose, if they were trying to appear un-menacing they had failed.

"Mr. Wilson." One of them said, a woman hidden behind a face mask and white covers. "We will momentarily begin a full brain scan to check for any abnormalities, if we give you the all clear you will be returned for further testing with a new subject." The utter lack of humanity in that speech made Joey want to scream. He was no more than a tool, one that must be catered to and kept at optimal condition with no regard for his mental well-being. Joey knew the chances of Ra's actually for filling his promise to him about releasing him was a load of bullshit. But the fact that everyone else seemed so single minded made Joey question, did no one in his entire organisation have any doubts or secret qualms with what was happening? "Shall we begin?" The doctor asked, beckoning towards the door Talia had just left through. No Joey realised, they would march off a cliff if Ra's ordered it.

 **"What happened to the man I was tested with, the one who had a heart attack?"**

The doctors looked at each other for a moment, it occurred to Joey that perhaps none of them could understand sign but eventually one of them spoke up. "He's dead."

Joey felt a new kind of pain as it all came together, the man had died, his final thoughts were broadcasted across Joey's mind before… well Raven could probably explain what had become of his mind better than any of the doctors present could. But then there was also the children, the victims used to keep Joey in line, their father had died, what would happen to them? Knowing Ra's it wasn't going to be good.

Clearing her throat the female doctor once more beckoned towards the door, the others however started to shift, as if preparing to force Joey from the bed. Perhaps they would. Nodding, Jericho began to move, following the doctors instructions to the letter, showing little to no signs of resistance. First he would need to find the children and then, Joey decided it would be time to make his own escape.

* * *

 **Secret base #2 of the League of Assassin's.**

* * *

Where the first League of Assassin's base the Titans had besieged had been a old castle the second was a bit more modern. One could be forgiven for mistaking it for a large metal shed sitting on a near flat mountain top, its grey hull hidden beneath a near perfect blanket of snow, the truth was, as so often was with the League, there was much more beneath the surface.

There wasn't much of a plan. According to the dark knight's notes on the bunker there was only way in or out. The Titans were going to have little choice but to storm the 'shed' defeat any opposition that appeared then enter the bunker via the single elevator. This meant they would be on the back foot, with the defenders able to create a choke point to try and hold the invading Titans at bay. Other than that, Batman had given the team very little about what to expect.

"Be prepared for anything." Robin warned the team as the T-ship neared the drop point. Useless advice when one really stopped to think about it, how can anyone prepare for anything? But Robin didn't have the time or the energy to think of anything else to say. They had a job to do and all of them were eager to get started.

"Forty seconds till drop." Cyborg informed them. Raven and Starfire would land first, being the most powerful and two of the team's fliers; they would act as the opening wave and engage anything that should happen to be waiting for rest of the team would then follow and go on from there, each of them hoping that this time they would be able to find Joey. "Thirty seconds."

Raven however wasn't as focused on the jump as she should have been. Instead she found herself keeping an eye on Slade. She wasn't alone in this activity although she had her own private concerns outside of her team's understandable fears. He was becoming unstable, a statement that under normal circumstances would have earned her laughter and applause from her friends followed by "No kidding." But Raven knew that Slade wasn't his usual calculating self, emotions were starting to rise up and influence his mind and could affect his actions and in an individual like Deathstroke that could be dangerous.

"Eighteen seconds." Cyborg yelled as they flew over the mountain top where the "shed" was located. Raven knew she would have to keep an eye on Deathstroke. If he had been her friend, a member of the team or just someone she trusted with such a problem, the answer would have been simple. Talking to them, letting them know that they did not have to keep it all bottled up inside, that venting out their frustrations was the best step forward but with Slade? Telling him that she had been poking around in his head might be the match to strike his ever shortening fuse. "Five, four, three, two, one!"

The Titans and Slade jumped from the T-ship as it flew over the "shed" hidden in the snow. Falling like a stone, aided by her power of flight Starfire touched down first with enough force to shake the mountain. Three seconds later Raven joined her. Then alarms began blaring, the league knew they were here.

Evidently this wasn't just good security protocols, the league had known they were coming and from out of the bunker's entrance came a swarm of black clad warriors, carrying a variety of weapons. While those armed with close combat equipment, be they swords, assault rifles or electro batons, charged Starfire and Raven, a second division began setting up more impressive hardware, the kind one would require in terminating a nigh invulnerable alien.

Ra's if nothing was prepared.

Charging forward Starfire bulldozed into the oncoming line of attacks, taking dozens of them out in a single strike, Raven meanwhile levitated off the ground, black aura radiating around her hands.

"Azarath metrion zinthos!" She chanted, mentally gripping league foot soldiers, before sending them hurtling back into their comrades. A short second later a crash was heard as Cyborg and Beast Boy landed behind her.

Robin, whose cape was acting as a glider landed almost immediately after. Then came Slade. Raven had seen him add something to his suit before the drop but didn't think to question it; he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Apparently what he had been busy with was a piece of glider tech of his own designed to give the user the flaps necessary to ride the wind's currents.

The second they were all on the ground, Robin began barking orders. "Cyborg! Take out those weapons." He pointed at the group trying to get a line of sight on the ever moving Starfire who was single handily desecrating Ra's foot soldiers. "Beast Boy back up Star." Turning to Raven, Robin ordered her to make a straight path for the entrance, to probe for any hidden defences or traps lurking inside. It was their only way in and she was the best person for the job. Turning to the final man, Robin narrowed his eyes. Stripping off the glider add on's to his usual armour, the mercenary was watching the battle closely taking in every detail.

"Slade!" Robin yelled, the masked man didn't look at him, nor give any acknowledgment that he had heard the Titan leader. "You'll back Raven up." With the final flap now off his suit, Deathstroke began moving towards the battle.

Gritting his teeth Robin wanted to attack the marching assassin. Ignoring his orders put the whole team in jeopardy, that is if he even was ignoring them. Knowing Slade, he could simply be carrying out the order on his own terms, doing them in his own way. Unable to ignore the battle raging in front of him, Robin drew out his bo staff and made for the closest ninja.

* * *

He wasn't here.

Slade could tell the second he saw the wave of enemies charge towards them, there were too few. Ra's was a coward, hiding from them, feeding them these breadcrumbs in hopes that it will lead them astray and buy him the time he needed. When they did finally corner the league's master, he would throw everything he had at them, in an effort to finally be rid of his hunters. The ninja fighting the Titans were too few; they fought well, giving it their all in an effort to kill their master's enemies, or to sell the illusion. Buying the heroes false hope as they would reason if it is so hard fought surely this must be it, the end of the hunt.

Joey wasn't here.

He wanted to leave, the same way a child would when it has been brought somewhere it didn't want to go to. To immediately leave and head to somewhere more interesting. That place was where Ra's had Joey, but unfortunately just like a child would, Slade could not leave just yet. Not until the Titans had finished their pointless battle and had been made aware of the fact that their time had just been wasted. Again.

Marching towards the fight Deathstroke felt rage bubble dangerously close to the surface. He was no closer to his son now than when he had first joined up with the Titans. A ninja, spotting the orange and black clad killer marching towards him turned and charged, holding his sword above his head.

Striking out hard, Slade watched as his foot sailed into a man's armoured stomach, driving a whimper from him. A second later the orange and black clad killer had pulled back his leg, punching at his opponent's unprotected face. The crunching sound as Slade's gauntlet crushed against the man's nose was not satisfying. As the guard began to fall to the ground Deathstroke felt what should come naturally. He should reach out and catch the man before he fell. Pull him to his unsteady feet, release him and then in that second of confusion, pain and fear, Deathstroke would reach out, lay his hands on either side of the man's head and twist.

But he didn't, the ninja fell to the ground with little more than a whimper. Before his attackers head had even hit the snow, Deathstroke had moved on. The meaninglessness of the fight angered the masked assassin, every second he experianced it the more enraged he felt, he wanted to kill them all, it wouldn't help him, not in the long run but it would allow him to vent out his frustration. To let Ra's know what was coming. But if he killed the Titans would turn on him, and now was not the time for a clash with the heroes, so instead Deathstroke kept a cap on his rage. Reaching for his volt guns Slade flicked the setting to above medium power, a single shot now capable of incapacitating a human for several hours.

Squeezing the triggers, Deathstroke watched as dozens fell before his barrage; his targets caught completely unaware, a shirking energy bolt striking them, pain and then nothing. As the crowd of ninja began to thin, Robin, ever the delusional, ordered the team onward.

"He's not here." Slade yelled over the sound of battle. No one heard him, metal striking against metal, the sound of cries of pain and yells of anger, the explosions of star bolts and sonic weapons being fired created a symphony that Deathstroke simply couldn't yell over. But that wouldn't stop him.

Shooting, kicking, punching Deathstroke carved a path straight for the Titan leader, anyone stupid enough to try and stop him was incapacitated in seconds, and Slade didn't care how. The time for being nice, to show mercy was starting to end and if Robin didn't have them in the air and looking for the next spot on his map, asap someone was going to regret it.

"Robin!" Deathstroke barked, a second after he had squeezed the triggers on the volt guns, two enemies dropped to the floor, screaming in agony. Robin turned to face the orange and black clad killer a look of anger on his face, Slade didn't care. Let the boy wonder make all the faces he wanted, he wasn't here to fight the hero. Although if things kept going the way they had been…

"I told you to stick to Rav-" The boy wonder was silenced as Slade aimed and fired, an enemy who had been trying to rush Raven from behind fell to his knee's before falling silently in the snow.

"Joey's not here."

"We don't know that." Robin argued. This alone made Slade want to hit him, if anyone else on the team had said it he might have listened, and while Deathstroke understood the past between them and why the boy wonder would never trust him, the fact he was now going to have to have a petty argument with the Robin made Slade feel all the more willing to kill. Things were not going well.

* * *

"Congratulations." The Doctor said with a beaming smile. "You are in near perfect physical health."

Under a different circumstance Joey might have been revealed to hear such words, but now, now he almost wanted something to be wrong with him. He didn't ask about the near, he could guess that the stress of the situation was accountable for any problems, after all Ra's would not be pleased if his guinea pig was damaged in anyway that mattered.

For the first time since he had arrived, Joey was allowed to eat. Surprised at how he didn't even notice the emptiness in his stomach, the Titan began wolfing down everything that was given to him. Ra's wouldn't bother with poisons or toxins to keep him on a leash and if he meant to escape on his own he would need the energy to do it, no one escaped on an empty stomach Joey thought as he drunk down the tasteless water that was given to him.

After he had eaten and given a brief few minutes to refresh himself, he was brought back to the room he had slept in previously. However Joey wasn't here to rest as he quickly discovered.

"I am pleased to hear you are in good health Mr. Wilson." Talia said, beckoning him to sit down. Ra's daughter remained standing, still wearing the non-reflective googles. Taking a look around the incredible bedroom, Joey silently counted the number of guards present, one in each corner of the room, plus the two outside meant a fight now would be seven on one. Not good odds, and while he had his hands free, possibly allowing him to pull at a pair of googles free, allowing him access to use his power, Joey decided, that such a scenario was laced with what if's and might be's which was a poor reason to start a fight. For now he would continue to go along with what they wanted.

"A smart man picks his own fights." Deathstroke's words of wisdom momentarily floated through his mind.

"You have been asking questions about your previous partner." Talia stated, bringing Joey's full focus back onto her. The Titan nodded, wondering if Ra's daughter would help answer some of those queries. "I see no reason for you to be concerned, the man was in poor health and could have died at any time, you next partner will be a much healthier specimen, eliminating any risk of a repeat incident."

Talia may have been better than her father but that was like saying one form of poison was more merciful than another, at the end of the day they both were what they were and both were killers.

 **"I would like to rest before I begin testing again."** It was a long shot Joey knew but stalling for time was something that could make all the difference in his plan for escape. Talia unfortunately didn't agree.

"You are to come and meet your new partner afterwards you will try and achieve what you did with your last before his death, should you succeed you can rest for tomorrow's tests."

 **"Why the rush?"** Joey asked, wishing Talia could be read, but once more the woman stone faced him.

"We have lost valuable time due to the indecent, time we would like to make up for." A reasonable answer, Ra's feared the end was coming and wouldn't want to be kept waiting, but Joey had a much better explanation one that filled him with a glimmer of hope. They wanted to move things along because the Titans, his friends were closing in and Ra's couldn't delay. The conversation now over, Talia looked over at one of the guards who all began moving at once, boxing Joey in.

Getting up from his chair, offering no resistance, a blindfold robbed the Titan of this sight once more. At this point the concept was becoming stale, a few seconds later he was hoisted off the ground, Joey then heard the sound of a doors being opened behind him, before he was slung over someone' shoulders. Then he was carried blindly through Ra's lair to meet the next unfortunate soul who would be forced to suffer for an insane quest for immortality.

* * *

The T-ship was quiet but that didn't mean there was a lack of activity going on, not that Raven cared. Once more it had been a waste of time, a waste of energy and they were no closer to finding Joey than they had been before.

Sealing herself away from the rest of the team, Raven retreated into herself trying to find a calm and emotionless outlook on the situation. A difficult thing considering how much a toll this mission was taking on her and her teams psyche. She was worried, Joey could very well be dead at this point, Robin had shot down such speculation at every opportunity saying "Why would they take him alive and go through so much effort to hide him if they were just going to kill him? They need him alive."

But Ra's and his forces had over three days with Joey, whatever they needed from him could have been taken, making their friend a lose end. The Titans had faced their fair share of monster in various forms; any one of them was capable of killing to further their own goals. The only assurance any of them had now was hope and Robin's experience with Ra's. Crossing her legs, Raven tried to squash her over acting mind. Joey would be fine. Joey would be fine. Joey would be f-

"Knock, knock?" A voice outside her pod asked. Raven was tempted to ignore him, to return to the task at hand and- "Raven it's me." Rolling her eyes the empath knew Beast Boy wasn't going to leave until he had said his peace. Stretching out an arm, she used her powers to unlock the door that connected her part of the ship to the main. A few seconds later, the green Titan was letting himself in. "Hey."

"Hey." Raven replied, trying to express how little she wanted to be disturbed right now unfortunately for her the hint went right over the green Titan's head.

"So uh we have some good news." Beast Boy started, causing Raven to feel a flutter of hope, so much for squashing her emotions. "Cyborg has called in the Titans East, they're heading here now, with more fuel for us so we can keep searching." Raven nodded, that was possibly the best news they had since this whole ordeal started. The extra sets of hands could greatly cut down time searching for Joey and if they were bringing fuel for the T-ship then the Titans could stay longer. Raven however would be wrong if she thought that was the only news Beast Boy had to say. "I uh, also reached out to the Doom Patrol, Cyborg said we should you know pull our resources and I thought I could ask and even though Mento wasn't thrilled 'bout it, he said he'll help out."

Deep down Raven knew being surprised at Beast Boy's actions painted the green Titan in a bad light. Still it had been a while since he had any form of contact with Mento given how poorly their last chat had gone. The leader of the Doom Patrol had resorted to first and last name calling something that had Beast Boy on edge for days after. Now he had proven himself the better person and bridged the gap between the two of them in a moment of true need. The Doom Patrol would be a big help and only one member of the Titans could have convinced them to drop their own missions and aid in the search for Joey.

"Thank you Beast Boy." Raven said, giving him a small smile, she expected him to return it with a wide white grin but instead he cast his eyes downwards. "You really outdid yourself." She added however rather than please Beast Boy she watched as his ears drooped.

"You think we won't find him either?" The green Titan asked scratching the back of his head while looking away from Raven. "I know it's not right to say that but, I just wonder what if we don't find him? What was the last thing I said to him, how was I around him?"

"You can't blame yourself. It's a natural reaction in these kinds of situations."

"I'm worried. Robin seems so sure of himself but I'm not. The way Slade yelled at him today, I felt the same way." Stopping himself Beast Boy looked up at Raven and quickly waved his hands in front of him. "Not that I wanted to yell at him but what he was saying, you know how we're wasting our time and stuff. Just feels like we're no closer to finding him." Taking a moment to clarify her own thoughts Raven studied the green Titan, this had been the first time since the mission had started that they really had a good chat about their feelings.

Not that it was their fault, the moment Slade had showed up the team's usual vibe had been shattered, even without the constant looming worry over Joey the fact was half the team didn't feel one hundred percent safe sleeping at night with their former enemy slash waking nightmare being on board with them.

"We will find him." Raven promised, reaching out and placing a hand on Beast Boy shoulder. "Joey will be fine."

* * *

 **Flashback**

* * *

Walking through the now lifeless mansion, Deathstroke began dialling a number. Bringing the phone to his ear, Slade only needed to wait a few short seconds before someone answered.

"Wintergreen?"

"Here, status?"

"Contract terminated."

"Good riddance I say, I'll contact Senator Yard and ensure the final payment is sent."

Slade nodded, while most clients were more than happy to pay once their contract had been completed, some occasionally needed a friendly reminder. As he neared the end of a corridor the masked killer turned his head slightly. "I've got company, call you back."

"Understood, Police are inbound so make it quick." Wintergreen warned before ending the call. Slipping the phone back into its pouch, Deathstroke reached for his sword handle and turned the corner.

It wasn't the first time someone had come looking for him during a mission, police, special branches, good Samaritans, Slade had encountered many. Some would try to stop him, others to hire, then there were those that would come to audition for the chance to study under him. When Deathstroke saw the H.I.V.E seal on the man he guessed the second, possibly the third. What he didn't expect was what followed.

"Deathstroke the Terminator, I am here on behalf of-"

"Skip the introductions." Slade ordered releasing his grip on his sword before marching down his escape path; they had four minutes at best before the local law enforcement showed up, five at a stretch. Deathstroke wanted to be long gone before that happened. Struggling to keep up the with assassin's pace, the H.I.V.E agent began his debriefing.

"We recently contacted you about a job, the Tita-"

"And I rejected it." Deathstroke interrupted with a hint of annoyance. He had made himself quite clear the last time he had spoken with the H.I.V.E organisation. It didn't do them any credit to ignore his answers, and anyone who tended to bother a mercenary for hire one too often usually winded up regretting it.

"Well there has been a development." Slade didn't slow down, but a slight tilt of his masked head gave the H.I.V.E agent the go ahead. "After you rejected the contract we of course went looking for alternatives, after some time we managed to-" The H.I.V.E agent stopped when he realised that Deathstroke was no longer looking over his shoulder at him, his mission had been clear, get the Terminator to accept the contract. "We hired someone else but they were killed by the Titans during a battle."

This caught Slade's attention. "Capes don't tend to commit murder, especially kid capes."

"This might have been a one off, an accident. Nether the less the assassin we hired was killed and we need to respond quickly." Deathstroke understood where the H.I.V.E organisation was coming from, they needed to keep the pressure on the team quickly otherwise other assassin's would see the job as hazardous and demand greater pay. Killing capes at the best of times wasn't cheap, so few hired guns dared to take the challenge, if word got out the last guy on the job himself had been clear the professionals would give the job a wide berth. "His name was the Ravager. You might have heard of him."

Ravager was a new boy on the scenes causing big waves by being unnecessarily brutal, while the man had a perfect record; thus far, Slade had labelled him as amateurish. Blood and gore may please those seeking to send messages or revenge seekers, but for the rest of the hitman community it got the intelligence community breathing hard down their necks. When you paint a former mob boss's house red with his own blood everybody involved demanded a result. Well if he was dead the FBI, Interpol and various other organisations could use him as a proxy for a while giving the rest of them some free reign.

"My sympathies." Slade smirked under his mask, watching the confused expression on the H.I.V.E agent's face. "But I'm still not interested; if you want I can drop some names for your boss to consider..."

"What I think would interest you is the man's identity."

Slade stopped moving, suddenly gripped by a feeling. He didn't want to turn around and face the H.I.V.E agent; in fact it would be better for all if he just kept on walking right now. But he couldn't Deathstroke's brilliant mind had already put all the pieces together and for all the agent had said there was no real reason to come to Slade first given his stance on the job unless…

"He was your son."

The world didn't stop moving but Deathstroke thought it did. Turning around the H.I.V.E agent suddenly seemed fully aware of his situation, he was alone in a mansion full of dead criminals with one of the greatest killers alive and he had just told him the organisation he represented had hired his son who had died. Taking a clumsy step back the H.I.V.E agent didn't even get to scream before the Terminator's hand shot out like a snake.

Fingers coiled around his neck, applying more pressure than any man Slade's size should have been able to produce. Being pulled off the ground, raised at least a foot from the floor the H.I.V.E agent tried to explain, to plead, to beg. But he couldn't, right now he wasn't even able to breath. Clawing at the Deathstroke's hand didn't help, even if he wasn't wearing protective armour designed by one of the best weapon smiths in the world, right now Slade had the agent in a death grip that no force on earth could break.

If you asked him why he was choking the life out a fairly innocent man, Slade wouldn't have been able to give an answer. He knew on some level that the agent wasn't responsible, in the past Deathstroke had acknowledged and honoured the "don't shoot the messenger" rule, but in comparison none of those messages relayed the death of his son.

Just as the agent's was on the verge of unconsciousness Slade released him. Falling to the floor the man broke into a series of rough coughs, his lungs greedily taking in air. Not giving him a second glance Deathstroke marched away, his body on autopilot. His son was dead, Grant was dead. And he could have prevented it, had he only taken the H.I.V.E contract when it was first presented to his son would never have taken it, he would still be alive doing stupid god only knows what jobs instead, but he would be alive. Slipping out through a second floor window, Slade made his way over the back lawn, in the distance sirens could be heard.

* * *

Things spiralled out of control after that night. Wintergreen heard the news not from Slade but through his own sources, of course the people who needed to know already did and under other circumstances the ex-soldier might have been offended that his best friend hadn't told him.

The next time he saw Slade however he didn't question it. The only explanation he got about the missing eye was "Adaline." Wintergreen never brought it up again, but there was plenty to talk about none the less if the world thought Deathstroke would disappear into retirement to grieve the loss of his eldest son, they were very much mistaken.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" It might have been the third time he had asked that, but Wintergreen felt he had to. If only to help establish in plain black and white what it was that Slade was agreeing too. "I know you blame the Titans but they-"

"Grant is dead, his mission is incomplete." Deathstroke answered, sliding down his mask. "This isn't about revenge."

Wintergreen almost believed him, almost. Slade had been living with him since he had shown up, Adaline and he were going through a rough patch to put it gently and Joey had gone abroad to get away from it all. Perhaps he wasn't doing this for revenge; maybe Slade was just doing this to get a semblance of normality back in his life.

"It wasn't you fault." Wintergreen said as Deathstroke twirled his power staff around, testing the weight. The masked mercenary turned to his friend and for a moment the ex-soldier wasn't sure what was going on in Slade's head.

"I know." He simply stated sliding the weapon in its sheath.

* * *

 **AN: Well, the end draws close now. It is the beginning of the end.**

 **Next time: Joey makes his escape, The Titans find Ra's hidey hole and Deathstroke cuts lose.**

 **Thank you so very much to everyone who reviewed never will stop thanking you all for your support and feedback. Got about maybe three more chapters to go before we wrap this up.**

 **Was fun showing how Slade was back in the past compared to his present state, easier to blame it on others than accept his own share of the guilt and more. Hope you all enjoyed this update, please leave a review always brightens my day and I am always happy to receive any feedback be it constructive criticism or praise. Also a big thank you to all my readers in general pushed the story past 3,500 views which is more than I ever dared believe possible for myself so, big thank you for that.**


	10. Chapter 10

Ra's watched as Joey was brought down to the centre of arena, a new test subject had been chosen and now things would continue as planned. The death of one prisoner wasn't going to change anything. Clearly it had been an error to use such weak stock for the trial runs, but what's done was done and Ra's always had contingencies in place, Joey Wilson's new partner was a different breed, a volunteer from the leagues own ranks. Healthier, stronger in both mind and body and with an unwavering desire to serve, the new man that silently kneeled in the arena as the blond titan approached was an infinitely better choice as they continued to dig deeper into Joseph Wilson's untapped potential.

"Same as before." Talia ordered Joey, as the Titan was forced to kneel, facing his new testing partner. A pair of hands latched onto either side of his head, causing him to stare at the new subject who appeared to have no idea what was coming. His face was a mask devoid of emotion, and while he was chained to the floor just as the father had been, Joey had the impression it wasn't to keep the man present, but himself once he jumped bodies.

"Begin." Ra's ordered from on high.

Taking a breath Joey collected himself before proceeding, he wasn't anxious to have a repeat performance, especially if it had the potential to cause heart attacks and death. Then there was the other problem, how to repeat an accident. Last time had been just that, a fluke, why should this time be any more of a success? Staring into his partners dark eyes Joey tried to look at his options, his plan to escape had been delayed and as always Ra's had taken all necessary precautions. Everyone around him save the test subject, had their eyes shielded by non-reflective googles same as before, meaning that Joey couldn't body hop his way to freedom.

Still there was only so long Joey could delay with every second he took Ra's grew more impatient. Locking eyes with his latest partner Jericho prayed that the father's death would be the last, and that he could make sure the man's children did not spend the remainder of their lives under Ra's rule, then just as he had done so many times before Joey felt himself slip into a new body.

Even as he watched the boy complete the first and easiest step Ra's was on high alert, he had not survived all these years on Lazarus pits alone, every sense was on high alert, ready to spot danger before it could manifest fully. Even his bodyguards, who had spent decades proving their loyalty to him, could not be trusted fully, ambition overruled everything after all and there were many in the league who wished to one day sit in Ra's throne.

His ears picked up the sound of her feet before she appeared, never taking his eyes of the spectacle below him, Ra's mentally counted down as Shiva drew closer, her pace giving almost nothing away, giving the illusion of control. Giving her his full attention, Ra's watched as the assassin bowed her head.

"The Titans-"

"Are on their way here," Ra's finished, having already come to the conclusion. Shiva would only bring him the most serious of news herself and while he had known it was inevitable, the head of the league of assassins would have liked more time to test Joey's power. But, as countless campaigns had taught him over his long life, a plan that is not flexible is a poor strategy to follow. "How long?"

"They shall arrive in thirty minutes; we will buy you all the time you need."

Shiva's promise was a sure one, Ra's knew she would do as she pledged and rally all resources to drive back the invaders, but holding off the Titans was no longer an option, even killing them would serve little purpose now. If they had found him, so would others and slaying the heroes would only bring their colleagues down upon him with a vengeance. No, if Ra's was to win this game he would need to flee.

"Delay," he ordered, "I need only time, once I have finished with the boy, then I shall see to my enemies personally." Rising from his throne, Ra's stood tall, his eyes watching Joey's partner twitch as the boy struggled inside of him. He would need more time to perfect his gifts and where this happened was of no importance, the league of assassin's had bases everywhere on the planet. "Prepare my escape route." With that, the aged man began to move, his bodyguards struggling to keep up with their masters brisk pace. Battle was soon to be at hand, and he would need a fitter body to fight his foes, both invaders and those that were not yet aware of his plans for them.

While some might see his decision to flee a cowardly one, Ra's was playing a far more complex game than simply fighting away his enemies. The prize was potential immortality, to be given a fresh new body untouched by the Lazarus pits, a chance for Ra's al Ghul to live for centuries more and change the face humanity as we know it. To risk it all in standing and fighting against impossible odds on a principle such as pride is how many of Ra's enemies had met their end, fighting the inevitable all because they wished to avoid looking weak.

What was weaker than being erased from history?

* * *

The T-ship roared through the skies, heading directly for the next set of coordinates. Sadly as disappointment often has a way of doing, the team was not as energised as they might have been earlier in the hunt to find their friend.

All of them, harboured doubts in the back of their minds, was this too going to be a waste of time? Should they really all go to one place? Maybe if they split the T-ship up into its separate pods, dividing their forces, three of them going to one hideout, three to the other they could get through Batman's list quicker, eliminate more possibilities. But none of these ideas were voiced, because of the immediate counter argument, what if they found the right base, but when at half strength? What if things went wrong and they lost more than Joey to the league of assassins?

"ETA twenty minutes." Cyborg informed them all, his eye watching his instruments. The Titans East were following, well over an hour and a half behind, if this next hidey hole proved to be fruitless the Titans would wait, allow the second team to join them, then share resources and plan their next move together.

One could argue this should have been done from the start, but none of them had expected things to end up like this, looking back on that first meeting, back at the tower, Cyborg couldn't help but feel ashamed at how naïve they all were at the situation, well all but Robin. Readjusting his grip on the joystick the Titan tried to fight off his unease as he continued piloting the T-ship towards her next destination. "Please." Cyborg whispered to himself as he kept checking on every new readout and information presented to him. absorbing and processing the information in less than a second, while making the necessary changes to the ships systems. "Please be here."

* * *

Huddled in the snow, hidden inside the clefts of the mountain, the first line of defence was all but invisible. Perfectly concealed in their environment, hidden from even the best drone and spy technology available, enemies would never know they were there until they began firing. They heard the ship before they saw it, the engines roaring with power, as the large craft made its way steadily towards them. But as the target slowly came into view a silent order passed between the sentinels.

Weapons were primed and armed; all were aimed at the large craft as she continued to approach. They had their orders, shoot to disable, not kill, delay, not massacre. Already those with the longer range assault weapons had begun to target the T-ships engines, which would be the key to bring the Titans down, after that... well few beings could just walk away from a crash and plan to attack the home of one of the most dangerous beings on the planet. The heroes would want to regroup, plan, and assess their situation, tend to any wounded all this without the sentinels even needing to engage them directly. The master would have all the time he needed. But still they held fire.

Surprise was a weapon you could only use once, if they fired now, only a few shots would hit their intended targets. Then the T-ship would take evasive manoeuvres, fire back maybe, possibly fly far out of range and plan a strategy to deal with the defences surrounding Ra's lair. No, they only had one chance at this, they would wait until the T-ship no matter how skilled her pilot was, would be hit hardest by their attack, crippling the engines and forcing the Titans down to their level.

* * *

Slade felt like he was going to explode, another minute of silence cooped up in his son's pod would be all it took for the mercenary to snap. He didn't know what he would do, he wanted to break something, perhaps someone. He knew a fight with the Titans would be disastrous and serve no greater purpose but right now it could be just the thing he needed. To get his blood pumping, to get his mind of the echoing silence that haunted him as they continued to search for his son. Joey.

Keeping his hands away from any of his weapons, Slade tried focusing on anything else. Breathing exercise, checking his gear, trying to calculate Robin's next strategy, nothing seemed to help. How long had it been since he had slept properly? Stupid question, but one he couldn't avoid forever, ever since he had learnt of Joey's kidnapping the mercenary hadn't been getting his full rest, not that he needed it. Given his stamina and healing factor Slade didn't require the same amount of sleep as a normal man, he was fine. For now. But when he wasn't sleeping his mind was kept active, which was starting to drain at his mental strength, as fear and doubt haunted his every waking moment.

How long could he keep fighting? Keep hunting? Slade knew he would never stop searching for his son. But he needed to be at his best, he had to keep sharp so that when Joey was within reach he wouldn't fail him. Not like last time. Closing his eye, Slade tried to meditate, something he hadn't done in a while, in an effort to clear his mind from the numbing silence of the real world and fill it with something more pleasant, give his body time to rest and recover while providing his mind with a distraction. Joey.

Frowning, eye still shut, Slade tried to block out thoughts of his son, an impossible task when it was all that he had been thinking about over the past few days. But he had to try. He could not keep calm when he thought about Joey, about what Ra's and his twisted schemes had needed him for. What his son had suffered through, wh-

Opening his eye, Slade found his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, propped up next to him. Releasing the weapon, Deathstroke let out a huff of anger. He was trapped in an endless loop that would only end when they found his son. Shutting his eye once more, crossing his arms to prevent any more impulsive actions, Slade tried to focus on another aspect of his son, an idea that right now every member of the Titans had thought about, but dared not indulge. What if they saved Joey?

What condition would he be in? Not just his physical wellbeing but his mental? What horrors would Ra's have exposed him too? Feeling his heart beat quicken the mercenary pushed those thoughts aside, Joey would be fine, his son was strong, always had been. He had suffered in the past but continued on, his soul untouched. Deathstroke would save his son.

Slade wasn't delusional. Joey wouldn't be happy to see him even if he did rescue him personally, there would be no tearful reunion, and while he loved his son more than anyone in the world, save perhaps Adeline, Deathstroke knew that his pride would never allow him to convey such emotion to Joseph.

"You destroyed this family! You and your pride." How right Adeline was. Even now, with his son missing, held by a madman, Slade wasn't able to tell him he loved him, even in his own mind.

"Joey," The name rolled of his tongue and for a moment Slade's eye snapped open, checking to make sure he was alone and unmonitored in his son's pod. Knowing Cyborg there could be dozens of surveillance devices in the cockpit that housed him, and given his past with the team it would not be unreasonable to assume he had been under surveillance all this time. Leaving his sentence unfinished Slade took in a deep breath. "Jo-"

A second later the T-ship was struck hard, causing Slade and the rest of her passengers to be thrown to one side.

* * *

"Cyborg?" Robin demanded, as he was all but thrown from his chair as the ship once again shook while the sound of explosions and energy blasts filled the team leader's ears "Status?"

"Engine one is dead, two has been hit and I'm pretty sure these guys are targeting out power cell." Cyborg yelled back, all while he tried to fly his damaged 'baby' out of the onslaught of enemy fire that was shredding the ship's hull. Pulling back hard on his joystick, the Titan's plan was to gain altitude fast, yes doing such a manoeuvre while being shot at risked exposing even more of the ships systems as the climbed, but right now they were already in deep trouble, if they continued to do nothing all that would remain of the T-ship would have to be collected up in tiny bags for recycling. "Everyone hold on!"

Following the ship as she started to climb, the members of the league of assassins mealy trailed their weapons after the smouldering ship. With one engine hit, the vessel was unable to move with the same speed she might have done, and given how close the ship was, well even if the shot failed to hit what the shooter intended, there was simply too much of a target to miss everything.

Gritting his teeth as the ship continued to shake, Cyborg felt his grip tightening on the joy stick as more and more warning messages flashed up on the screens, continuing to tell him bad news. Meanwhile the other heroes were trying to get to grips with the situation, moving as a wild cat from Raven's pod to his own; Beast Boy struggled towards his own part of the ship. Strapping herself in the team empath was a little lost on what to do as Cyborg continued to try and steer the ship out of harm's way.

"Robin!" Starfire yelled through her pod's com system, causing the team leader to wince as the ship continued to shake and groan under the never ending onslaught. "I will draw their fire." It took Robin a second too long to figure out the alien's plan, by the time he had started to speak, to tell her that under no circumstances was she to go outside and attempt to take on their attackers head on and alone, Starfire had hit her pod's eject button and was soaring towards Ra's sentinels, starbolts glowing brightly in her hand.

"Star!" Robin screamed out, knowing it was already too late. Normally Starfire would be the one he would worry about the least in such situations; time and time again the alien had proven herself stronger than anyone gave her credit for. But alone against Ra's forces was a terrible idea, the team had already lost Joey, Robin wasn't willing to let the monster take anyone else. Trying to track the orange skinned alien's movements through her communicators tracker chip through his pod's computer, he watched as Starfire made like a bullet, heading straight towards the ground.

"Robin!" Cyborg cried out as his cockpit continued to devolve into chaos, every screen and readout told him the exact same thing, the T-ship was screwed. Four of the six components had lost main power and were now switching to their back up batteries. Engine two was going to fail in fifty eight seconds and counting, and there was no way Cyborg could pilot the smouldering wreckage down without taking them further away from their intended target, not as long as their attackers continued to rain hell upon them. The Titans had just officially had their knee's taken out, and now would need to crawl several miles before they reached the bad guy's lair. Unless… "I can't save the ship, but if I start the emergency separation procedure we might be able to regroup and-"

The teenager was cut off as the main computer of the T-ship died in a sparking mess. Letting out a curse Cyborg began the manual override procedure, waiting on Robin's orders, wondering if his friend had even heard him over the racket.

"Everyone turn on your communicators, we find each other, group up, and then move onto Ra's together understand?" Robin said, trying to be heard over the sound of energy weapons and the T-ship's death wails as engine two shorted out. "No one goes on alone, understood, Slade?" The mercenary did not respond and Robin did not have time to argue a reply from him. "Do it Cyborg."

"Everyone hold on!" Cyborg yelled, pulling down on the emergency release clamp, for a second the T-ship simply fell lifelessly back to earth causing Ra's sentinels and Starfire to watch in silence. Then the ship exploded, or at least it appeared to, separating into its six independent pods', each carried off by powerful burst from their ships thrusters. The individual components flew away in a different direction ensuring for a split second that no attacker could get a lock on any one of them while being able to track the others decent.

Knowing what had happened, Starfire whirled on the ground enemies, starbolts glowing bright, knowing that her friends were separated and would need to regroup. In the meantime, she could prevent their attackers from going after the downed Titans, buying the team time to regroup.

* * *

Once upon a time the Lazarus pit felt heavenly, it didn't simply wash away the pains and discomforts that came with age and renew him with life, no. It used to make him feel stronger, his mind clearer, sharper, better than he once was, rising out of his precious pool Ra's used to feel invincible. A god among men. But time had changed the effects, now each use felt painful as the transformation took hold, turning young was an ordeal, one he was not sure he could even survive some days, soon his body would not be able to continue soaking up the properties of the pits. One day, one day soon it would simply cease to work its wonders on him.

When that happened, Ra's knew he would only have days left to live, a week if he was lucky. He had seen the turn of many a century, clung to the mortal coil longer than anyone else on earth. Some would say he had been given a unique opportunity, to live countless lifetimes and accomplish so much, some would say that he had lived too long and that he should stop his quest for immortality, true immortality, and face death with dignity.

Shutting out the unpleasant spasms that racked his body, as every one of his cells was filled with new life, Ra's looked not to the past but to the future. The Wilson boy was his chance to start anew. To be given a new body, to put all that he was, everything that made him stand above other men into a fresh shell, one untouched by the waters of the Lazarus pit.

Long had he cheated death, now Ra's would cheat the limitations of the Lazarus pits too. Opening his eyes, the master of the league of assassin's could not help but be surprised at how well he could see now, it had been a while since his last dip, and his time spent slowly withering had left him robbed of a younger man's sight, his eyes had become clouded with age. Sitting up, Ra's slowly made his way to the side of the pool, wadding through the pit's waters.

Reaching out an arm, Ra's hand was swiftly caught by one of his bodyguards, who slowly helped his master rise from the pit. Around him the others present tried to mask their wonder. Yes, many of them have the privilege of seeing him use the Lazarus pit's powers before, but to see their master return to his true glory always filled them with awe. Quickly Ra's was dressed and attended to, flexing his hand, he felt the strength that had ended kings and vanquished nations flow once more through him. As a bodyguard approached, carrying his sabre, the demon's head waited like a spider. Once the man was within reach, Ra's lashed out faster than anyone in the room could react to. Clutching his throat, the former bodyguard, let the sword fall as he tried to save himself, unaware it was already too late for him. Snatching his sabre out of the air, Ra's continued to dress himself, attaching the weapon to his side as the guard chocked out his last breath on the floor before him.

There had been no real reason behind the execution, the man had not failed in anyway, and had served with the same blind devotion Ra's expected from his league. If he was truly honest with himself, the demon's head did it just to see if he could. But for every other being in the room, a silent message had been etched into their minds. Any secret thoughts of treachery or ambition had been quashed in an instant as all present quickly sunk to their knee's as Ra's al Ghul turned to face them, opening his arms wide, presenting himself for all to see.

He was their master, now and forever, if it were ordered they would give their lives for him in an instant. For a selfish moment, Ra's basked in the feeling, everything was how it should be, he was at his best, his body young and his mind sharp, his followers filled with blind devotion to him, and while the moment would not last, it was this precious sense of Godhood that made Ra's all the determined to keep fighting for his immortality, to rule forever as he did now.

Turning his head slightly Ra's watched as a messenger ran down the last of the step that led to the Lazarus's pits chamber. Upon entering the woman bowed low, following the example of her comrades, but then she moved swiftly to her master side, ignoring the corpse at his feet. "The Titan's ship has been brought down, they are separated."

For a moment a rush of energy flooded Ra's, his arm longed to reach for his sword, to draw it and lead his warriors into battle against the Titans, with him at the front even the alien would fall before his might as so many had before. But that was the bloodlust talking, the memory of thousands of conflicts swelling up inside of him. He was not a butcherer, and his battle would be won on a different way. The 'heroes' would not die today, not until he had secured the vessel which would allow him to move into a new stage of immortality. But not all of today's enemies were heroes and would earn the Justice Leagues immediate attention.

"Kill Slade Wilson," Ra's spoke, his voice echoing around the otherwise silent Lazarus chamber, everyone present rose at their masters order, as they stood, waiting for a final word before they ran from the room to do as was commanded. "Kill Deathstroke the terminator."

* * *

Opening his eye, Deathstroke found himself upside down. Strapping himself into his seat probably had not saved his life, but it had prevented him from taking a beating as his pod crashed into the snowy mountain. Hitting the release on his strap, Slade fell to the floor or roof in this case of his son's section of the T-ship.

He was on his feet in seconds, checking and arming his gear. Robin might want the team to unite and lead a heroic charge against Ra's forces but Slade wasn't willing to dance to that tune. The madman would likely send parties to hunt down each of the pods, find the occupant and kill them. Of course the Titans were not so easily slain, and would likely hold their own and unite against the threat, but in the meantime Slade had a small window of opportunity. His son was only a few miles away from him, held in the bastard's fortress; let him send his armies out to hunt. Deathstroke's target was within and until Ra's felt in danger, he would stay put, meaning now was the best time to go for Joey.

Attaching his sword's sheath on his back, Slade took one final look around the ship for anything that could be useful. Pulling down his mask, Deathstroke turned to his pods emergency exit hatch. "I'm coming Joey." He promised as he left the pod's cockpit.

It had been a while since he had really had a chance to stretch his legs. Slade had always been fast, ever since that serum his speed had been classified as superhuman, but right now, the masked mercenary felt as if he was running on air. In seconds he had left the broken Titan pod in the distance as he tore across the landscape towards his target.

But it wasn't just his speed that felt different, every sense at his command was pushed up to eleven, the sound his boots made as they crunched down on the snow was like an explosion to his ears, he could taste burnt metal and plasma fire on the air as he ran, despite how far he was from the ambush that had brought down the T-ship, and then there was his sight. Although he knew it was impossible, it was as if he could see a spec on the horizon that was Ra's mountain fortress, reaching out an arm as he continued to race through the wilderness towards his destination, Slade closed his hand around that distant spot.

And then he heard them. Snow bikes, quiet, but still detectable, their engines purring as they carried dozens of Ra's men towards him. Adjusting his path, Slade veered off to the right, given how much time he had before they spotted him, the masked mercenary was easily going to be able to get around the group sent to investigate his pod. As for the rest of the downed Titans, they had survived much worse.

* * *

Groaning was the first thing Raven did once she woke. The landing had been rough on her, the ships thrusters had fired once but then just as she was coming in for a bumpy landing the engines gave of a second burst of power. The result had been the pod smacked down only to be thrown forward a second later. The rest was a tumbling, rolling mess.

Reaching up, Raven gently ran a hand across her forehead; she immediately pulled back and let out a hiss of pain when her finger came in contact with her temple. Examining her digits, the empath saw smudged blood coating her skin. Closing her eyes, she channelled her power through her hand, before placing it over the injury. In a second the pain was diminished as the wound closed itself, in a few seconds it was as if she had never been hurt. Feeling better, Raven reached for her communicator, lying on the floor, undamaged by the pods tumble.

"This is Raven, does anyone hear me?" For a moment nothing happened, her screen remained dark as the device searched for any and all responding communicator's. However unlikely it was, for a moment fear welled up inside of the empath. Were the rest of her friends alright? Did something happen to them? No, they should be fine given how much time and effort Cyborg put into the T-ships safety measures but what if-

"Raven?" Eye's locking onto the screen, Raven let out a sigh of relief as Cyborg's face sprung to life before her. He was joined a second later by Beast Boy as the communicator split the two callers on either side of screen, allowing a three-way conversation to take place.

"Everyone okay?" The tallest Titan asked, breaking up the small warm smiles the trio were giving each other as they realised all were well and alive, and that the question wasn't even worth asking.

"Couldn't be better." Beast Boy grinned.

"Bit of a bumpy landing." Raven complained in a monotone voice, causing Cyborg and Beast Boy to smile a little brighter. If she could make a joke there was nothing to worry about with the team empath. "Where's Robin?"

"Don't know, I'm triangulating each of our positions right now, once I know whose closer we can-" Cyborg stopped talking as his organic eye grew wide for a second before narrowing.

"Cy?" Beast Boy asked a slight panic in his voice as his friend fiddled with something unseen on his communicator.

"Is it Robin?" Raven asked, feeling a similar spike of fear. A second later Cyborg shook his head. "Star's okay from what I can tell, she's moving erratically so either she is still fighting or she is doing a load of complex flight moves for the hell of it, Robin I'm not too sure about but his pod didn't land too far away and it's beacons responding so…"

"He'll be okay." Raven finished, knowing that the leader of the Titans would be the first to pick himself up and lead the charge, they were too close to the end to give up now.

"Slade's com is moving away from us." Cyborg finished. The news surprised no one, but still Deathstroke was pretty bold to attack Ra's and his forces alone. "Pretty fast from the looks of it"

"We follow Robin's plan." Raven declared ending any question of if they should go after the mercenary before they were even voiced. "We need to stick together."

Nodding Cyborg finished what he was doing, a second later a blank black screen filled Raven's communicator screen, then a symbol, each representing a member of the team appeared showing that person's current location in relation to each other. Slade, represented by an icon of his mask was swiftly moving towards the boundaries of Cyborg's range on the triangulation.

Starfire on the other hand was slowly making her way towards the other Titans but every few seconds her icon would dash rapidly in one direction or another. Robin's remained focused, sitting not too far from Cyborg's own location.

"Alright, I think we should meet up and get this show on the road." Cyborg said, looking carefully at his own map, Deathstroke wanted to go on alone, not much they could do to stop him, he only wished that Slade would apply stealth and give him and his friends a chance to find Joey without the entire stronghold firing on them before they even got within a mile of Ra's house. I'll go get Robin, Raven you meet up with Beast Boy then go see Star, she might need help. After that…"

"Joey." Raven nodded.

"Joey." Beast Boy agreed, with Cyborg giving his own nod of approval.

"We've come too far to let some B-movie ninjas stop us now. Titans go!"

* * *

Starfire looked around her, eyeing her fallen foes with care. The battle had been largely one sided and while their weapons could hurt her, they had been designed to take down larger, less aerodynamic targets. Besides the slow rise and fall of their chests none of Ra's sentinels were giving any sign they were going to jump up and continue to pose a threat to Starfire or her friends.

With one final sweep, the alien rose up into the air before reaching for her communicator, it had been beeping for a while, but the battle had prevented her from answering as more and more of Ra's warriors came out of hiding, trying to overwhelm her with superior numbers and cheap blind spot shots. Rubbing the back of her sore head, Starfire flipped open the yellow disk object, on her screen, rather than see her friend's faces she was presented with a map.

It took her only a second to count each of her friend's icons to know they were all intact, a second more to see Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy's signals were on the move, heading towards each other. Robin's was still; and there was no sign of Slade's. Suspicion flooded Starfire as she quickly feared the worst, checking her map again, she flew off towards her friends, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of Deathstroke or any more of Ra's servants. Had she super hearing, Starfire might have heard the distant hum of snow vehicles trailing behind her.

* * *

"Raven!" The green snow leopard cheered as he spotted the cloaked woman, bounding towards her, jaws pressed together in the closest thing a predatory cat could come to smiling. Beast Boy thought about tackling her, but decided against it as Raven was all business, the second she had eyes on him, she pulled out her communicator, checking on Cyborg's progress.

"Star's on the move." She commented, as Beast Boy returned to his human form and peered over her shoulder, watching as the alien's icon flew towards their own on the screen's map.

"Think we should?" Beast Boy asked, pointing up at the sky, a second later, after turning into a falcon, he and Raven took off into the sky to meet their friend.

* * *

Cyborg had feared the worst when Robin hadn't picked up. His pod should have easily shielded him from any serious injuries, and his communicators signal was working, so why hadn't he answered? A million and one theories sprung to mind as the machine man ran through the snow, towards his friends' position. Maybe his systems had short circuited, causing a fire, Robin could be trapped inside his pod, choking on smoke.

Grunting, Cyborg tried to move his legs faster, already moving at maximum speed through the wilderness. Maybe it wasn't anything so dramatic, what if his friend had merely been knocked out on landing, his head being smacked against his seat upon impact? No, the seats were designed to reduce head injuries; he himself had done the specs for them in case of crashes or rough flights. Maybe he had-

A shriek of energy caused Cyborg to abandon his hypothetical problems, as he ducked and rolled, his right arm transforming into its sonic cannon mode. Pointing the weapon in the direction the energy blast came from, Cyborg waited.

There was no one there, taking a brief second to look around, he noticed there was no charred wood, no smell of burning material, had he really just been shot at? A moment later his question was answered as two more shrieks of energy blasts being fired was heard. And yet Cyborg saw no evidence of the weapon bolts being fired at him which meant…

"Robin!" Running in the direction the weapons seemed to be in, Cyborg checked his map, he was moving away from Robin's communicator, but why would anyone be shooting at nothing? Coming to a ridge, the Titan quickly got his answer. Robin, armed with his bo staff, was flipping, kicking, and striking out as five black clad league of assassin's members tried to subdue him.

Subdue was Cyborg's educated guess, as none of them had lethal weapons, like their traditional swords, or assault rifles. Instead stun buttons and energy weapons, set to low setting were being used. Not that it was making muck difference Cyborg noted as Robin leaped up, delivering a swift kick to the one who held the energy weapon, knocking him flat on his back.

Leaping into battle, Cyborg caught the remaining four members by surprise as he fired of a stream of blue sonic energy, sending two of the enemies flying. Robin, capitalising on this, swung his staff into the face of another one of his attackers, causing them to drop their stub button, dropping on all fours, Robin then snatched up this weapon turning it on its stunned owner.

Leaving one last man, knowing how outmatched he was, the ninja, turned and tried to run. He didn't get more than a few meters before Cyborg fired off a quick blast, knocking them of their feet.

"Hey." Cyborg smiled, as Robin twirled his staff before collapsing it back into its more portable size. "Thought you might be in trouble."

"I had it covered." Robin smirked back.

"Yeah well next time pick up when we call. You know how we worry." Reaching for his belt, Robins masked eyes widened as he realised his communicator was not sitting in its usual spot.

"The others? Do yo-"

"They're fine." Cyborg answered, raising a hand to try and calm the momentary look of panic that had spread across Robin's face. "Cept Slade." Panic was now gone, replaced by mistrust and anger. "He's gone awol." Gritting his teeth together Robin let out a hiss of frustration.

"We don't have time for this."

"No we do not." Heads snapping upwards, Robin and Cyborg watched as Starfire, Raven and Beast Boy all descended from the sky towards them. "We must focus on finding Joey." Starfire continued as she landed in the snow. "Ra's cannot take him again."

"Even if he did he won't get far." Cyborg added, "Titans East could easily chase anything he has down."

"If they get here in time."

"We're getting him back one way or another." Raven stated, as she looked around the team, everyone wore similar expressions. This was it, endgame. Joey was the prize and the Titans were going to give it their all.

"Alright then." Robin said as the team turned to face the direction Ra's castle was in. "Titans G-"

"Titans freeze!" A voice ordered, a second later, dozens of black clad ninja's appeared surrounding the team.

"Urgh!" Beast Boy groaned as the team of heroes fell into a back to back stance. "This is going to be like one of those last levels where you just have to keep fighting the same guys over and over until you reach the boss isn't it?"

* * *

Joey wasn't stupid, something was happening. Talia had done an excellent job of trying to keep him from thinking about it, forcing the Titan to keep repeating the same song and dance in an effort to complete both her father's wish and hide the truth from him. But unfortunately for the league of assassins all the physical and mental labour could not keep Joey's mind still, the moment Ra's had met with that woman and then left in a hurry a thought so strong and hope filled had been born that refused to bow to Talia's will.

The Titans were here, or on their way. Either option meant that Joey didn't need to wait much longer before things began to fall apart for his captors. So he humoured them, he kept up his side of the dance and continued to enter the body of his new test subject time and time again. The only concern for the blond Titan was that Ra's might not be so crazy after all. When Joey had taken control of the man's body he felt the same ice cold pain in his skull, but upon opening his eyes or rather the eyes of his test subject, there was something else. He was in control, just as he always had been, but he was no longer alone.

A whispering voice just out of focus was there too, the first time it happened, Joey had a near panic attack trying to figure out just what had happened. Like Ra's wanted a meeting of the minds was occurring and while the father had died during their encounter, when Jericho left the test subjects body the man appeared to be fine, albeit tired from the encounter.

Each time he had done the body jump, the voice grew slightly louder, now on what might be the twentieth attempt for today, the volume of the man's thoughts were as loud as if he was standing right next to him. Joey couldn't understand the words that were being spoken, but they were very much real.

Ra's was right, Joey could do more than simply body snatch, perhaps he did posses more range than anyone had ever thought, if he had been in the madman's possession a few days longer, the demon's head might have well got his wish and been able to use Joey as a conduit and transfer his consciousness into a fresh unsuspecting body. But Ra's time was now up, and each time Talia asked him about the experience after he had returned from the father's body, Joey shook his head, as if nothing had happened.

The Titans would be here soon, he, and every other one of Ra's captives would then be freed. At least that had been Joey's hope. Looking up after once again lying to Talia's face, the blond Titan watched as a man in a fine green robe made his way down to the arena, accompanying him was Shiva. Squinting, Jericho tried to identify the man, he looked a little like Ra's and at first that is who Joey assumed it was, but with every step the man took, it became clearer that this was not Ra's.

It could have been his son, as the man walking down those stairs towards him was easily thirty years younger than Ra's. And yet, the way he walked, the way everyone seemed to react to him and with that same sharp look in the man's eye… was it possible that Ra's and this man were one and the same?

No, impossible. Joey thought Ra's needed him to avoid death, what possible reason would he need that is he was able to regenerate back to his prime? This must be his son. "Mr. Wilson." Ra's voice rang out clear over the arena, destroying any doubt in Joey's mind. The tone was the same, that aura of command and superiority mixed with a slight hint of pleasure as everyone stiffened at their master's call. Even the test subject who had slowly been worn out sat up straighter, given Ra's his full attention. "I'm afraid you will not be enjoying my hospitality much longer."

Did Ra's mean to surrender him? Did he know the battle was lost and that his forces couldn't win? Studying the man's face Joey realised two things. Ra's didn't look upset, angry or even concerned, instead there was this air of triumph about him, there was no need to surrender in his mind, if anything he had already won. So what did he mean by earlier comment? The second thing Joey noticed as Ra's slowly descended into the arena was that his captor and tormentor was not wearing the reflective goggles.

Talia was also aware of this fact and quickly moved to stand in front of her father, to shield him from Joey's gaze, but Ra's quickly laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Mr. Wilson and I will be leaving shortly," He announced before giving Joey his full attention. "Your friends have been captured and should you attempt to escape through me or anyone under my command, I will execute every last prisoner here." Boldly meeting Joey's eye, Ra's looked every bit the tyrant as Joey gritted his teeth together in frustration. Turning from the blond Titan, Ra's began giving some instructions to Shiva, who quickly bowed and began to climb up the stairs out of the arena.

It was a lie, Ra's had nothing that could defeat the Titans with such ease, Starfire alone could probably take on every man and woman under his command without earning more than a bruise. From the moment they met, Joey had been kept on a leash, any move to lash out or escape was countered with the promise of violence and pain inflicted upon another. Now his tormentor was within reach, venerable and yet Joey was still unable to act.

And then a guard moved, whispering in a foreign language the man tried to keep his voice low so not to disturb his master, but the person on the other side of the two way radio was all but screaming back at him, bringing all eyes on the guard. Realising Ra's was now watching him, he bowed and quickly handed the radio over to his master, a second later Joey watched as the demon's head expressed a new emotion, fear.

It was brief but for a moment all his clever plans and wonderful moves had been reduced to nothing. But Ra's quickly covered up and returned to his smug attitude, giving a quick sharp order, he returned the radio to its owner before turning back to Joey, and that is when the Titan struck. In the blond heroes mind his friends where on Ra's doorstep, fighting through his army to get to him, in his desperation the league of assassin's lord might try and use his prisoners as hostages, slow the advance of the heroes, but Joey wasn't going to allow that.

Locking eyes with the man, Ra's had less than a second to realise what was happening before Joey Wilson took control. At least, that is what was meant to have happened, once again he felt pain, terrible ice like pain being stabbed into his mind. This was far more intense than either the father or his latest test subject; still, Joey refused to allow this to stop him. Too close to freedom to give up now. One of Ra's soldiers tried to restrain him, perhaps in an effort to prevent Joey from making their master harm himself, but the guard simply was not prepared for what happened.

Pent up anger since the beginning of this ordeal, combined with Ra's newly regenerated body, all mixed with years of hand to hand combat from both Slade and Robin meant Joey was able to swiftly land several strikes on the man before he could even grab a hold of his master's arms. Jumping backwards, Joey made Ra's draw his own sabre, everyone froze as Talia raised her hand, bringing the cold steel to the demons head's throat, Joey watched through Ra's eyes as the balance of power shifted.

"Wilson." Talia warned her voice as cold as Ra's blade, "You cannot win this fight, surrender now and release my father or else-" The threat went no further as Joey drew the sword lightly across Ra's throat. A collective gasp was heard as a droplet of blood raced down the demons head's neck.

On the outside Joey inside of Ra's appeared to be in full control having got the league in a very uncomfortable position, on the inside the blond Titan wanted to scream. The icy pain in his brain hadn't stopped and with every second it felt like another cold dagger had been plunged into his mind. Was it possible that Ra's was actively fighting his control?

A short week ago the notion would be impossible to Joey, now he wasn't so sure. Readjusting his grip on the sword the Titan tried to plan his next move, waiting for his friends was his best hope and yet, somehow the idea that Talia and her loyal servants would simply allow Joey to hold their leader hostage for several minutes wasn't believable.

But Joey wasn't able to run either, the moment he broke away, made a move, they would be on him, pinning Ra's down to prevent any further harm form befalling him, even if Joey then freed himself and chose to run on foot, how far he could he get? So he waited, expecting the room to start shaking, to hear the sounds of battle as his friends made their way towards him. Instead all he heard was silence, every second feeling like forever as the standoff continued. Then his brain exploded.

The sabre fell from Ra'/Joey's hand as the Titan felt all sense of control leave him, his mind was burning and in less than a second he found himself no longer looking through Ra's eyes, instead there was only darkness and then…

Watching in horror, Talia saw her father and Joey separate, the boy leaving her father's body, she moved immediately to catch Ra's before he fell, supporting him as she slowly lowered him to the floor. The guards around her pinned the Titan, restraining his arms while one reached for a blindfold.

"Father?" Talia spoke, studying Ra's face for any sign of movement, but there was none, aside from the weak breathing that caused his nose to flare slightly. "Wilson?" Turning to glare at the helpless Titan, Talia laid Ra's head gently on the ground before moving towards him. "Wilson what have you done?"

Studying the boy's hands, watching as he tried to speak to her as a guard fought to restrain his wrists Talia felt her eyes widen as she understood what was being said. " **I am in control now."**

"F- father?" Lowering herself onto one knee, Talia wasn't sure if she could believe it. Had it happened, had Ra's actually managed to put his soul in another body through Joey Wilson and his ability?

 **"I am your father."**

"Release him, but do not lower your guard." She ordered, the guards obeyed, slowly raising the body of Joey Wilson up, but never letting go entirely. Meeting his eyes, Talia saw they were the same black and green when the Titan used his abilities to take control of another. Reaching out with an arm, every guard tensed, but did not act as Joseph Wilson laid gently touched Talia's face, for a moment it was clumsy, as unfamiliar fingers tried to replicate an action that had been done thousands of time under different circumstances.

But quickly Talia understood what the touch was trying to convey. Only in private would Ra's cease being lord and master to her and become only her father, giving her a few kind words and affectionate touches. He would never be a hugger, but through these small and brief moments he would convey his love to his child and now Joey Wilson someone she had not known for more than a week was able to replicate the exact same touch in the exact place her father would. Removing his hand from her cheek Ra's looked through the heroes eyes as Talia slowly sunk to one knee, the guards quickly followed suite as realisation struck them.

 **"We do not have much time."** Ra's conveyed through quick hand gestures. **"I must leave for Gotham."**

* * *

 **A/N Two chapters to go!**

 **Thanks for all your support and I hope to continue writing chapter 11 shortly, sorry for the longer wait than usual but life and other things required my attention first.**

 **Ra's finally has what he wants so why would he want to go to Gotham? Are we really going back to Gotham? Tuch! Like Slade is going to let that happen, IT ENDS HERE! One way or another. :) Please review if you liked or have any suggestions or feedback to offer, thanks you for reading.**


	11. Chapter 11 part 1

**A/N : Bold = Sign language**

* * *

To keep moving was an important rule in a group fight. If ever you allowed yourself to become still, even for a few seconds you could be tagged and brought down, when your enemies where everywhere, you would always have a blind spot they could exploit, keep moving and don't allow yourself to become a fixed target. Thankfully every member of Robin's team was well aware of this fact, be it from past experience in combat or through the countless training scenario's the leader had them run through, preparing them so that even now, as the band of five heroes fought over forty well-armed ninjas, taught by the league of assassin's best, the team was easily able to dance through and around the opposition.

Using his bo staff to launch himself up in the air, Robin executed a splits kick, striking two enemies in the face with his boots. Then as he began to fall back towards earth, he reached for his belt, pulling a smoke disk free, ready to use the second he made contact with the ground.

Letting the disk strike the dirt, the boy wonder was cloaked in a small but thick cloud of smoke that momentarily threw off any enemies that had been trying to follow his movements amongst the chaos of the battle. Right now, as long as the heroes continued to move and fight, the ninja that had come after them could do little to stop the group. But Robin knew this was all a prelude, another time waster sent by Ra's to subdue or weaken his foes as he continued along with his grand scheme and while he would never say it out loud the boy wonder had to admit, their best chance right now of retrieving Joey was with Slade.

If he managed to reach Ra's fortress undetected, while the league sent their forces out to confront the Titans, maybe just maybe he could infiltrate the base and find his son. Or at the very least cause enough chaos to prevent them from fleeing with Joey before the rest of the Titans managed to arrive.

Letting out a yell as he blindsided another of the black clad warriors, Robin attacked hard and fast, targeting any openings presented to him. In a few seconds the foe was incapacitated, although two more moved to take his place, swinging their stun batons at him. Leaping backwards with a gymnast's grace, the boy wonder wished he could count how many ninja remained, to predict how long this pointless conflict would last, how much time would it take for the Titans to reach their true objective?

Striking out with his bo staff, one of the ninja managed to block it as their partner tried to zap Robin while he was venerable, but the boy wonder quickly released the staff while kicking out at his attacker. Then a third ninja was thrown into the pair, knocking them both down, not even turning to see who had provided the assist, Robin quickly jumped on the pinned warriors, raining hits on their faces, aiming for a quick knockout.

Then he was up, bo staff snatched up from the ground as he prepared to fight the next enemy, but as he paused Robin saw the fight was now over, the only people left standing was his friends, each with a determined expression on their faces as they ignored any injuries or bruises they had acquired as they prepared themselves for the next part of their mission.

There was no need to discuss a plan or what should come next, as they all began moving towards Ra's lair. "Titans Go!"

* * *

Ra's was a little put off by how alien it felt to walk with Joseph Wilson's body. Everything was new, and yet so familiar, for one it had been a very long time since he had to look up at Talia when standing up right. Then there was the strength of the boy, while he had done his best to ensure Joey was never at optimal health, the child possessed quite the impressive build, formed by years of training and heroics. Still as Ra's slowly grew used to moving in the Titan's body there was a sense of fatigue about it, strong but not limitless, being a captive had taken a toll on the flesh.

"Father," Talia spoke up, as the guards silently watched their master pace in his new, albeit temporary body. "We must leave." Ra's silently nodded in agreement, the goal had been reached, not in the way he would have desired, but still, looking down at his own body lying on the floor, light breathing the only clue that it was even alive, Ra's could not deny the sense of freedom he felt. Death had been denied. He had won.

If everything went wrong after this moment, if the detective could not be acquired, if he could not force his mind into Batman's own body to take as his own and be denied a true worthy form to rule with, Ra's had still won over death, for in Joey's own body he could live for another five hundred years more, all while moulding the teenager's appearance into one fit for his use. But why settle for second best when the gold medal was not yet out of reach.

 **"Take my body."** Ra's quickly conveyed through sign language which Talia then relayed back to the guards, who obediently raised their master up on their shoulders, as if carrying a fallen king. While he was certain he would never need his old body again, the demon's head was not about to leave it to become a trophy for his enemies. **"It is time to go."**

Nodding Talia was handed a radio as she began to order all available units to locate and terminate the intruder at their gates. Satisfied, Ra's began to lead the small company, his daughter falling into step behind him as the remaining guards carried his former shell after them. They would need to be swift if he was to escape, even now when his enemies were on his doorstep Ra's al Ghul held the advantage, but experience had also taught him not to push his luck. Once they had left, the Titans would be lost, unsure where they would need to go to continue their hunt. Turning his head, Ra's watched as Talia was fed an update through the radio. Deathstroke was inside the lair.

* * *

They were not prepared for him, that much was obvious. When the league's soldiers finally became aware of his presence, as he made his way towards one of the great houses' many entrances, he had already killed eight patrolmen. The four that stood guard at the door had assumed the battle would take place far away, having witnessed the small army on snow bikes trail down the mountain towards where the T-ship had fallen.

So when they had seen him, stalking towards them like a tiger, the blood on his sword glistening in the sun's light, they had panicked. Only one had the sense to call in what was happening and in doing so had hoped to perhaps save his master's life as well as alert the rest of the remaining warriors under Ra's command to the immediate threat. But it hadn't saved any of his comrades lives as Slade tore through them in mere seconds, and it most certainly did nothing to spare his own life as the orange and black clad killer marched forward, holding his bloodied sword in both hands, raising it above his masked head as he approached the last man. Shutting his eyes the guard never felt the blade come crashing down upon his skull, for his brain was killed less than a second later.

After that, Ra's pawns swarmed him. They came through hidden doors and over the house's battlements, trying to engage him in both close quarters and with ranged weaponry. Unlike the Titans, they had their orders to kill Slade and attempted to do so with great prejudice. But Deathstroke was too close to be stopped now, his goal was within reach, only a single great oak reinforced door separated him and the man that had taken his son. So he did what he did best, he terminated the opposition.

The Titans wouldn't like it; in fact Robin might be so naive to actually attempt to fight him in order to save the lives of Ra's slaves. But Slade didn't care what the heroes might think of his actions, it didn't even matter if Joey was disgusted with him, refusing to look at his father, instead seeing only the monster. Let them, as long as his son was alive that was all that mattered. Deathstroke had been childishly labelled by the Titans and many others as the "bad guy" a title Slade had found impossibly easy to bear, he did what he had to, sometimes for the greater good, other times for profit or self-interest. Right now he was doing it for his family, possibly the last piece of it he had left.

There was no price to high, no line he wouldn't cross. Joey was going to be saved and nobody on earth was going to stop him. Cutting down the last of the footmen, Slade dropped his sword and reached for his volt guns, before his blade had even clattered to the ground, Deathstroke was firing away at every one of Ra's sharpshooters, cranking up his weapons powers to a high setting. Every scream of agony, as a bolt of power seared through their light armour and burned into their flesh, was a confirmation in Slade's mind that he had removed another threat to his son's well-being. Eventually there was no more screams and the small courtyard was silent.

Holstering the guns, Deathstroke retrieved his sword, sliding it back into its sheath, not bothering to clean it, knowing he was far from done slaughtering Ra's minions. He then turned to the door, standing defiantly in his way. Running a hand over his belt, Slade began to pluck various combat disks from his person and place them strategically on the wood.

It took about two minutes to set it all up, time well spent, as anything waiting for him behind the door was about to have the tables quickly turned on them. The explosive and smoke disks detonated first, destroying most of the door's frame while sending a wave of cover inside, for a moment anyone standing in the hallway would have been either injured in the blast or were now dealing with sudden blindness No matter what, no one inside was going to be unshaken by what just happened. And so, Slade made his move.

Running through the smoke, not using his vision to find his targets but his ears. He quickly realised he was dealing with a squad of eight individuals. Formed in a classic defensive formation of two lines of four, all of them carrying high calibre weapons, the plan would have been to shred Slade into pieces the second he touched the door handle. But plans had changed and they hadn't the time to reorganise and while one being with authority was shouting for the others to remain in formation amongst the confusion and pain, Slade had already leapt clean over the group and now stood about three feet behind them. For a moment he watched them all, none of them had heard his near silent movements, they were too focused on what was before them, a wall of thick concealing smoke, which is where the enemy should be coming from, none of them considered clanging over their shoulders where their doom stood.

Reaching behind him, Slade grabbed a hold of his power staff; twirling it silently he eyed the group, trying to pick out the weakest one. He needed directions and a long interrogation was simply not on the cards, eyeing one who had already suffered injuries from the shrapnel, the masked assassin quickly wrote off the rest of the ninja as worthless, then activating the weapon, energy crackling to life down the pole, Deathstroke watched as panic and realisation struck Ra's little defence team. They tried to turn, but already Slade was upon them, lashing out with incredible strength and speed.

A single strike from the energy coated staff caused a regular man to scream and fall to his knees as their body was racked with pain and spasms, rendering them completely venerable. In only a few short seconds he had finished off the little group, shocking and striking at them without mercy, until only one remained conscious. Knowing that they were the last man standing and that they had been singled out the masked guard turned to run, back through the fading wall of smoke to the outside world, they didn't even make it three feet before Deathstroke took out their legs with a quick twirl of his staff.

Knocked to the floor, the wind knocked out of him as his legs turned to jelly and pain rung through his nerves, the guard tried scrabbling for a weapon, his hands blindly feeling for anything. This stopped when Slade brought the staff's crackling head down right next to the masked ninja's face. For a moment he was forced to stare at the weapon, watching as the energy danced up and down the pole almost like it was alive. Then Deathstroke spoke.

"Where is the boy?" A whimper. Slade wasn't sure if his question was understood or not, but the ninja wasn't ignorant as to what he was being asked to do, Ra's demanded blind loyalty and while every one of his followers swore that they would honour him with their lives, not all were so steadfast when the moment of their death actually came. "Where is the boy?" Slade repeated. Placing his armoured boot on the man's back adding some weight to the question, Deathstroke watched as the guard helplessly tried to squirm against him, his legs still numb and useless.

If he wanted to, Slade could have snapped the ninja's spine, leaving him unable to walk ever again. It would be so easy, if he was sure the ninja he had underneath his heel could understand him Deathstroke would have conveyed that fact to them. Instead he just let the slow but ever increasing pressure on the man's back do the talking for him.

"Down." The ninja gasped out, horrified by his own betrayal of his master. Almost immediately he tried to clam up, silently promising himself, and Ra's, that it was a mere moment of weakness that would not be repeated but Slade had heard the broken English and wasn't going to ease up. Sharply digging his foot harder into the man's back, he ignored the scream that followed.

"Down where?"

The guard managed to hold out for an impressive five seconds before his will broke, had he held out another three seconds longer, it would have been his spine. "The mas-ster had him dow-wn. Gargh! In the arena."

"Why?"

"T-ests."

"How do I get there?"

"Left. You keep going left, it's a pair of doors, d-down the steps."

"Thanks." Slade said, before bringing his full weight down on the ninja's back. The man's screams echoed down the corridor as Deathstroke ran forward, a new sense of dreed filling him as he pictured his son performing in one of Ra's sick tests, possibly forced to fight for his life, forced to kill, something that would be near impossible for Joey, who valued life like no Wilson ever had.

Why would Ra's do this?

Slade had tried racking his mind for a reason, and while he had no clear answer he found that he no longer needed one. Moving through the house at incredible speed, tearing through anyone that got in his way, Deathstroke silently followed the directions he was given before finding a set of doors, throwing them open Slade looked down a dark passage that would lead him underground.

"Joey. I'm here."

* * *

Shiva stood, watching the helicopter pilot and crew move as one in an effort to prep the vehicle for immediate take off. Things had changed considerably within the last few minutes and at the moment there was no safe course of action to counter these developments. Yes Slade was now inside the master's home and would be seeking out both his son and Ra's, but the long range scouts had just informed Shiva that another-ship belonging to a secondary team was coming. While the heroes' backup would not reach them for well over an hour the league of assassins was simply not prepared to deal with this many high level threats at once.

The master's only hope as of this moment was to flee immediately and allow Shiva and his remaining servants to dispose of Wilson and occupy the Titans, if timed right Ra's could be long gone before the second team of heroes arrived, leaving their enemies in a confused state allowing the greater plan to take place in Gotham undisturbed.

A small beep emitted from her radio, a second later Shiva held the device against her ear.

"We are on our way." Talia said her voice betraying none of the unease she felt as her father led them the long way round to the landing pad. "The Titans are still preoccupied."

Shiva did not bother informing Talia that she was aware of this, instead focusing on important matters. "The boy?"

"With us." Talia eyed her father continuing to move at a brisk pace inside the body of Joseph Wilson "Be ready for take-off the moment we arrive." Eyeing the crew as they continued to fuel the helicopter, Shiva could safely predict that by the time Ra's arrived, the master could expect an immediate departure. Believing the conversation over, the assassin was about to return her radio to its holster but Talia had one last thing to discuss. "Ensure Wilson's demise." There was nothing else to say and the call was ended.

Enjoying the small tremor that filled her, Shiva began to move. The crew and pilot didn't even spare her a glance as she returned back inside the home of their master, their own important task demanding their full attention. Once she was inside the assassin calculated the more likely place that Deathstroke would go. True she could simple enquire with Ra's lesser forces in a quick radio call, who were no doubt at this moment throwing themselves at the mercenary in a futile attempt at killing him. But the thrill of hunting him down herself was too much to deny, a true test of all her skills, could she sneak up on a metahuman whose every sense was heightened far beyond that of any human? Could her skill match up against his augmentation? Was he as dangerous as sources claimed or another overhyped freak with a few lucky victories? Lady Shiva was about to find out.

* * *

Raven silently cursed the fact that none of them were faster, every second the lair of Ra's al Ghul got closer, but it didn't help ease her nerves. If anything it only made the team empath even more worked up. If she wanted to, she could teleport them there, at the cost of a large amount of energy, but Robin had ordered her not to.

They weren't going to get Joey back without a fight and so he wanted Raven at her best. But as the team silently made their way towards their destination, she found herself wondering who Robin had pictured when he had said that. Slade was ahead of them, probably already running rampant through the lair of Ra's, but if he found Joey first would he really want his son to return with them? Would he try to take him and run?

It wouldn't surprise her, their alliance had been to find Joey's whereabouts and here he was. Alliance over. Ra's might not be the 'final boss' at all, as Beast Boy would put it.

"Hello?" Turning to watch Cyborg as she continued to fly ahead, Raven saw that he was running with his communicator in hand, all while he tapped at the device lightly. "Hello?"

"Who ya talking to Cy?" Beast Boy growled as he moved towards his friend, never missing a beat as he continued running at a steady pace as a snow lynx.

"Bumblebee and the Titans East." Cyborg answered, tapping the screen in frustration. "Well trying to."

"How far behind us where they?" Robin yelled over his shoulder as he continued to lead the group towards their goal, the idea of backup and a means to continue the chase should Ra's attempt to flee would be a godsend at this moment in time for the Team.

"I uh, give me a sec- wait!" For a moment they moved in silence, Raven and Starfire watching Cyborg as they flew, Beast Boy continued to move alongside him all while Robin pressed on, never looking away from Ra's home base. Then as a small smile spread over Cyborg's face, as a new voice reached the team's ears.

"Hel- C-n anybo-y hear me or am I j-st talking to myself? Hello?"

"I can hear you!" Cyborg yelled a little too loud as he was filled with joy, for the first time today things where looking up. "Where are you Bee? We need help asap. Wait can you hear me?" He added, tapping the keyboard once more, a second passed before he got confirmation.

"Yeah I can hear you. Glad to see you're still working tinman." Bumblebee grinned, as if a weight had been lifted the team broke into smiles as they found themselves no longer alone in the fight for their friend. "Where are you?"

"Long story Bee," Cyborg chuckled, "but the T-ship got shot down, we fought some ninja's and now we've got a friend to rescue."

"We'll don't have all the fun, we didn't come all this way for nothing." A cheer rose up from the Titan's east as all the member listened in on the conversation. Pulling out her own communicator Starfire quickly joined the discussion.

"How far away are you?" She asked.

"One moment." Speedy answered, quickly checking the distance between the second T-ship and the Titan's own location provided by their communicators. "Uh about fifty minutes away, give or take."

"That's not good." Robin muttered under his breath, his mind already building a new picture based on the information he had been given, in fifty minutes, things could have wrapped up here and not in a good way. If Ra's felt cornered he would flee and with only Starfire and Raven able to chase him…

"We need you to set up a scan," Cyborg instructed, also realising the problem, "look out for anything in the area, plane, helicopter, a hot air balloon. Anything that could be our bad guy trying to make a run for it again."

"We really aren't going to get that much accuracy on our scans if we continue moving at top speed," Aqualad informed the teams as he began to load Cyborg's request.

"Better than nothing." Bumblebee argued back, "We're on our way; you guys better have Jericho back before we get there okay?"

"Sure. Seya soon." Cyborg nodded, a moment later the call ended. Silently the team carried on, the looming lair of Ra's al Ghul continuing to draw closer.

When they discovered the first dead body, no one was surprised. Slade was Slade. He could be merciful, charming even downright sympathetic but at the end of the day the man was a killer through and through and right now some of the Titans weren't too sure how to feel about it. Starfire had the least qualms with allowing Deathstroke to carry on murdering any league of assassin members he came across, they had come to save Joey from a madman, who sounded like he had committed countless crimes that, on her own home planet, would have earned him the death penalty many times over. Let his suffer for his misdeeds.

Still as the team slowly walked around the broken and bloody bodies, none of the Titans felt joy over the acts of violence; finally coming to a stop at a burnt and broken doorway Robin had to make a call. No one pressured him, the decision was a hard one and none of them wanted to split up and hunt down Deathstroke, they had come for Joey, perhaps they should just get him and go, let Ra's forces and Slade fight it out. But at the same time they were heroes and allowing bloodshed to go on without interfering really put that title into question.

"Cyborg, Beast Boy." Robin said, trying to keep his voice calm as his eyes fell on a headless ninja whose body was not yet cold. "You split up and try and find Joey, that is your mission understand?"

"What if we find Slade first?" Cyborg questioned, his voice already telling Robin that he was fully prepared to fight the masked mercenary should they meet him.

"Stop him, but don't take any risks, we're here to get Joey first. Starfire." Turning to the orange alien, Robin saw pure determination in her green eyes. "You're going to be relief, if either me or Cyborg call for an assist you get there as quickly as you can got it?" A quick nod was his answer. "In the meantime, stay in the sky and keep an eye out, Ra's must know he's trapped now and might be trying to make a break for it, if he does you're the only one fast enough to chase him down. He cannot be allowed to escape."

It might have sounded like Robin was trying to justify his decision in leaving Starfire in reserve, but the moment he said it the boy wonder and the rest of the team knew it was true. She was the only one who could prevent this from going any further as well as the only one who could pull their butts out of the fire if things went south, quite the pressure to place on her shoulders.

"I'll holla only if I need it Star." Cyborg promised with a small smile.

"Raven and I will try and find Ra's. He's the key to all of this; if we get him then all of this stops and we will finally get all our answers."

"Like why the heck he took Joey in the first place." Beast Boy grumbled.

"Yeah." Robin nodded then turning to look around at his closest friends he tried to find some last inspiring words that would carry them through this final hurdle, unfortunately all the boy wonder could think about was the consequences if his decisions here were the wrong ones. If he had a minute to himself he would have liked to re-examine his plan, perhaps swap a teammate over here and there, but he didn't have time to second guess himself, to do so now would only ruin his focus and resolve.

Another day, another mission this might be the part where Beast Boy cracked a joke, earning a collective groan before Robin gave the go ahead and they ran off into danger, their spirits unwavering. Now they were quite, each eyeing the other passing silent reassuring thoughts and looks they couldn't express into words.

"Titans go?" Beast Boy chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. Robin nodded.

"Titans go!"

* * *

Cyborg would have liked to have said that stepping over the broken and bloodied bodies as he and Beast Boy charged into the lion's den was easy for him. Being a hero meant seeing the best life had to offer as well as the worst. Unfortunately as much as he would have liked to avoid following in Slade's path of carnage the fact was whatever way Beast Boy led them, as he followed the scent of Joey, that's where they found another sample of Deathstroke's work.

"Think he knows where Joey is?" Beast Boy barked as he continued to follow his nose, Cyborg silently nodded, as the green bloodhound continued to lead the way. If his friend was as equally put off by the ever growing collection of bodies they seemed to pass, he never mentioned it, as he stayed on task as they slowly navigated the maze that was Ra's home. The place was one of the most stunning buildings either of them had been to, even the hall of Justice, decorated and filled with wonders from both the Justice League and the Justice Society paled in comparison, even with blood soaking the fine rugs or ancient treasures from by gone era's Ra's al Ghul sure knew how to live and every turn Cyborg took only showed some brand new exhibit that would make any museum curator drool.

Lifting his nose from the ground, Beast Boy moved to a set of double doors that had been thrown wide open. "His scent's goes down there."

"So we go down too." Cyborg said, morphing his right hand into his sonic cannon. Then turning on his infer red camera in his right eye the two began to descend down a long set of stairs. It was pitch black as they travelled, the light from the world above quickly faded as they continued on. Beast Boy quickly morphed into a moth and hitched a ride on Cyborg's shoulder, for a while they continued on in silence before the question no one wanted to answer was asked.

"What if Slade doesn't want Joey to come home with us?"

Cyborg knew what would happen, they would come to blows, and should they lose, well, they were back to square one again. Trading one kidnapper for another.

A small dim light soon came into view at the bottom of the stairs, not breaking stride, refusing to blindly run into either a league trap or a Slade ambush. "Stay hidden and try and get a beat on them." Cyborg whispered.

"Who's them?"

"Just go." Coming to the end of the stairs Cyborg found his jaw dropping to the floor, he had expected a dungeon, slimy castle walls and old iron bar cells but this, this was something else. A huge coliseum was below him, built from the rock and stone of the surrounding mountains. Perhaps it was the vast emptiness of the place, maybe it was the fact an arena like this was built only for combat, either way Cyborg had just decided that Ra's al Ghul was officially the creepiest guy they had ever met. Who else had a blood sports arena in their basement?

Turning to his shoulder, Cyborg was about to tell Beast Boy to take a fly around the room only to find his armour plated body insect free. Slowly moving towards a throne, the Titan tried his best to stay on his toes, every step was a calculated one, every noise was revised and analysed with the greatest of care. If video games had taught him anything it was that places like this were bound to have traps of some sort, and Ra's had been nothing if not prepared thus far.

Of course it might not be just Ra's to look out for, Cyborg reminded himself as he came within spitting distance of the great chair. Slade Wilson was also running around, probably coating himself in blood as he tried to find his son. Speaking off which…

"Hey any sign of him?" he yelled out to the seemingly empty room. There was no reply and for a brief second Cyborg feared the worst. Then morphing from out of nowhere Beast Boy appeared, performed a mid-air spin, before landing like an acrobat with his hands raised above his head. "Don't do that!" Cyborg hissed, trying to calm his circuitry at the sudden surprise.

"What?" Beast Boy said, confused as to why Cyborg was suddenly acting so hostile. "You said had I seen him, and I hadn't."

"Who were you looking for?"

"Anyone."

"And?"

"Well I clearly didn't see them." Beast Boy yelled, waving at the empty spectacle around them. Cyborg would have loved to have done nothing than make a crack about Beast Boy's bug eyes not being up for the job, but his higher sense of reason prevented it, this was not helping and they were getting worked up over a childish scare.

"Let's go, Joey's not here and we're wasting time." Morphing back into a bloodhound Beast Boy allowed his nose to absorb and identify all the scents that coated the room, trying to ignore the odour of death and blood that clung to this place. It only took a second or so for Joey's unique smell to become apparent and once more Beast Boy was able to track it, but then he noticed something else.

"Cy." He growled, looking around the room wildly. "We're not alone."

Those words put both Titans on full alert as they fell back to back, Beast Boy morphing into his human form, unsure of what animal he might require in the face of this unknown hidden presence. Scanning everything in sight, trailing his sonic cannon after his optical search, Cyborg silently watched and waited, neither hero saying anything as they tried to locate the hidden threat.

Then he heard it, a low whistling sound, racing towards him. Pointy ears were not just good for picking up chicks it turned out as Beast Boy was awarded a higher than human level of hearing. Knocking Cyborg backwards, the green Titan then broke into a roll as something shot towards them like a bullet from above.

The moment she landed, Beast Boy was on the attack, blindly throwing a punch at the enemy before Cyborg had even finished staggering from the rough shove. But Shiva was able to knock aside the blow as it were thrown by a child, opening up the green hero to a counter attack.

Cyborg, spun on his heels, unsure of what just happened, one second he was back to back with his best friend, the next he was hit by something from behind. Aiming his sonic cannon the Titan saw a woman, throw several quick jabs at Beast Boy's body, unable to fire his weapon off without hitting his teammate; Cyborg clumsily swung his gun arm at the attacker's head, only for her to dodge under it in a blur.

Cyborg was given less than a second to react before Shiva countered with a drawn back punch directly into his abdomen. He would have liked to have said that the punch hadn't hurt, but that was a lie. Driven back by the surprising force of the blow, Cyborg took a second to register what happened. This was no ordinary ninja, but some higher class of warrior. Dancing around him with near inhuman speed, the Titan continued to try and catch her, each time she moved just out of reach. Quickly growing frustrated Cyborg turned to Beast Boy and yelled "A little help?"

There was no answer. Instead Cyborg saw Beast Boy had silently crumpled to the floor, his body still, his breathing weak. How? Cyborg wondered the hits he took looked like rabbit punches that wouldn't have even fazed someone as experienced as… oh.

Raven had no physical injuries back in Gotham and was knocked out for several minutes by an unseen foe. Putting two and two together, Cyborg stopped playing tag and started cranking up the juice in his sonic cannon.

This woman, whoever she was, clearly knew some sort of nerve strike type move, and while Cyborg used to believe such things only existed in movies, after this little adventure he was going to need to have a talk about them with Robin. But for now little Mrs. Ninja lady was about to get a taste of sonic energy.

Firing off three shots rapid fire, Cyborg retreated as Shiva began to dodge, unlike Robin or Slade who often, leapt over the blasts or jumped to one side, she simply took the minimum route needed to avoid the incoming attacks. It wasn't often someone so casually sidestepped an oncoming attack and under normal circumstances Cyborg might have considered the grace of Lady Shiva, 'cool' but right now he had work to do.

Loading up his medical scanner in his left arm Cyborg continued to fire a spread of blasts keeping the woman at a distance as he ran for Beast Boy. Once he reached him, the blue sensor bar was moved over his still body. Once more a small loading circle appeared on the screen, but this time Cyborg didn't have time to focus on it, instead he continued trying to hit the advancing Shiva.

Swapping his blast size and speed didn't seem to even faze the woman who seemed to predict every shot before he had even fired it. Clenching his teeth together Cyborg continued diverting more of his power into the weapon, hoping to hit the woman just once, that's all he needed. If he managed to clip an arm or a leg well… let's see how fast she was then.

Ignoring his internal weapons system's constant warning that his sonic cannon was starting to overheat Cyborg continued firing with abandon at the woman, she was only a few meters away and the little circle on his medical scanner still hadn't finished spinning. For a moment the Titan considered calling in Starfire. She could be here in less than thirty seconds, if she took the most direct route, straight down through the house. But what if she was needed elsewhere, what if this was all some cheap distraction as Ra's was climbing in some escape vehicle? If he got away now with Joey then all of this would have been for nothing. No, he could handle this; some flashy ninja was not getting the best of Victor Stone.

A ding snapped his attention away from Shiva for a brief second as he looked at the results his scanner was displaying, just like Raven, Beast Boy had no physical injuries and was for the most part stable. Not a perfect outcome but there was much worse conditions he could be in.

In his moment of distraction Shiva, shot towards him like a bullet from a gun, closing the distance in a heartbeat, then aiming for the side of his face that was still human, she threw a quick punch. Cyborg staggered back from the blow but immediately countered by striking out with his left fist. And it was here that Shiva began to analyse his fighting style.

He was strong, obviously, and clearly knew how to capitalise on that strength, using his hips well when throwing punches, bringing a good amount of weight and power behind each blow. But with his strength came a lack of defence, Shiva noted for whenever she struck out, Cyborg simply either tried to parry with a swipe of his arm, or take the blow and counter while she was venerable. Simply put, the hero was used to taking punishment and powering on through.

Morphing his sonic weapon back into his hand, Cyborg raised both arms above his head before bringing them down hard where Shiva stood only a moment before. The force of the blow shook their surroundings but once again, she had avoided the attack and was now free to get in several quick hits on Cyborg's exposed back.

The armour plating held up well against even her strongest punches, this was saying something considering how Shiva had trained her whole life to strengthen her hands to the point where even concrete slabs would crumble under her strikes and she wouldn't feel a thing. Still, every armour had its weak point and it didn't take the master assassin too long to find Cyborg's.

The exposed flesh, just beneath his shoulders was all too real she noted after a quick jab earned her a hiss of pain from the hero. Back flipping away as Cyborg once again tried to hit her, Shiva removed a single short blade from a hidden sheath on her clothing. Putting two and two together the hero had a guess at what was coming.

"Don't you do it." He warned, realising he had little chance of stopping her, given how fast the woman was.

The second she started moving so did he. Running in full retreat Cyborg fell back on his greatest weapon of all, his mind. He could beat her if only he could hit her, so how could he do that? He needed to slow her down, okay so how?

Computer processors and human ingenuity worked hand in hand as both searched for an answer. If he activated his system's light's he could attempt to blind her? Maybe, but he would only get one chance and if he failed...

Destroy the surrounding environment; make her traverse uneven ground. That would take some time though. Time he clearly didn't have.

Cyborg's thought process was interrupted when he felt a sharp pain cut across his arm, looking over his shoulder he saw Shiva right on his heels and a bloody knife in her hand. Diverting more power into his legs, he tried to keep out of the woman's reach all while he checked on his injury.

It was a deep cut, intended to cause him to bleed out and go into shock, bad news for Shiva was that Cyborg didn't ruin on blood alone and while he may need it to keep his organic side healthy, he could also go a few hours without any, not that he had ever tried due to his father's strict warnings about it.

Coming to a stop, Cyborg spun on his heels and with a great cry tried to drive his fist into Shiva's face. The sudden halt in movements hadn't fazed the female assassin in the least as she leapt clean over the hero.

"Damnit." Cyborg hissed as the knife cut into his other arm. Then as Cyborg once again tried to hit her, Shiva sidestepped the blow and backed off a little. "I could use some help!" The injured Titan yelled at Beast Boy, who was still lying on the ground.

Anger blinding him, Cyborg tried to regain a focus. Think smart, think fast. Play dead?

No. Cliché, she would never fall for it. She was all about killing, probably would know in an instant if he was faking. But did she know technology?

An idea came to him, it was crazy, stupid and something he had seen in a bad movie once but…

Morphing his right hand into his blaster he though he saw the woman smirk as he charged up the weapon, then firing wildly, Cyborg watched as Shiva once again began dancing through his blasts. But this time, there was a plan.

Moving as he fired in an effort to keep the distance between them Cyborg began digging through his internal files, searching for his weapon systems errors. Finding what he needed, he began constructing a brand new program all while firing at Shiva who seemed to be growing bored of the repeat performance. Her dodges were getting sharped, as she made her way closer and closer and Cyborg got a chill whenever he saw the look in her eyes.

A few more seconds.

Jumping backwards, Cyborg ran for the stone throne of Ra's al Ghul, all while firing as he did. Then as he reached the great chair an audio warning sounded off.

"Warning! Sonic cannon overheating, weapon critical. Refrain from firing."

Gritting his teeth Cyborg shot off two more blasts, all while Shiva continued marching towards him.

"Warning! Sonic cannon overheating, weapon critical. Refrain from firing."

"Come on." Cyborg hissed at the weapon as sparks began erupting from his arm. With a hum he fired off one last shot.

"Warning! Sonic cannon overheated. Weapon no longer functions."

And that's when Shiva charged. Knife in hand and a killer look in her eye, Cyborg yelped in fear as the woman was almost upon him. Then when she was within spitting distance, he moved, activating all lighting he could he saw her eye's close by reflex at the sudden brightness then raising his sonic cannon he let lose a stream of energy.

The blast hit Shiva dead on and carried her across the room until she struck the far wall. Ending the stream, Cyborg watched as the assassin fell a few feet, hit the ground and was still. Keeping his weapon trailed on her at all times, the hero grinned as she remained still.

"Booyah!"

* * *

 **A/N Part 2 will focus on Raven, Robin and Ra's. The three R's. Oh and Slade. Thank you all for reading and as I have done many times before I want to thank everyone who reviews, means a lot to me. I will try and have part 2 ready as soon as possible, and then FINALE!**


	12. Chapter 11 part 2

The prisoners flinched at the sounds that pulled many of them from their sleep. Screaming was not uncommon here; they were after all playthings for Ra's al Ghul, serving whatever purpose he saw fit for them, be it experimentation, target practice or merely to be used as an example in acts of cruelty and violence. What started to play on the captives fears was the fact that the cries where not coming from a nearby cell but from outside and these where not the same broken screams of the tortured, for mixed in with them was gunfire, the sound of swords being drawn and sharp shouts as orders were relayed between the guards just beyond the door separating the dungeons from the outside world.

Slowly rising to their feet, the inmates looked at one another in silence, asking unspoken questions to each other across the gloomy prison, as the sound of battle and death grew closer. The clash of steel, a voice letting out a pitiful wail, only to never be heard from again, a war cry born from blind fear and desperation that was swiftly silenced with a sicking crunch of bone followed by the wet slap of blood hitting the floor. Then came the tune of broken sobs and pitiful wailing that spoke of suffering on such a scale, that death would seem quite merciful in comparison.

Slowly as time ticked by the sound of battle died down, leaving only one sound to haunt the prisoner's ears. A man begging for his life in short gasping tones, rising in volume as their doom approached. The words spoken clearly did not buy him his life as the screams turned into a death wail followed by the sound of a body crumpling to the floor. Then there was silence.

Trapped in their cells, most unable to move more than three feet before they hit a brick wall or a set of iron bars, they waited. For a moment, some of the prisoners assumed the thing that had killed and maimed the guards outside had simply moved on, having had no orders or interest regarding them. Perhaps it had been a failed coup that had been swiftly routed out and punished? Such things were rare but not unheard of as some of the eldest prisoners could remember several instances where Ra's had ordered a complete extermination of any members that had displayed treacherous thoughts. Either way, if the screams stopped at the dungeon door it meant that they, for the moment, where safe and forgotten about.

That changed when a lock clicked, a heavy bolt was drawn back and the door opened.

"Joey?" Slade eyed the dark cells. Some of the occupants faced him peering through the gloom with uncertainty and wonder, unsure what manner of being he was, a saviour, an executioner or merely a rival attempting to claim Ra's throne? Most however clung to the shadows, hiding their faces from him. None of them spoke up, none dared. Marching forward, Deathstroke scanned each prisoner carefully, looking past his first impressions of the hopeless and broken souls residing in this place, praying that one of them was his son. "Joey?" He tried again, his voice causing those nearest to him to flinch at the sound.

The prisoners kept here was a wild collection of men, women and children from all nationalities and ages. Taken for reasons known only to Ra's, each serving a purpose by being kept alive, even if it was only to be a living trophy. Staring at a pair of children, the only occupants to share a cell, Slade felt genuine pity for a moment, wondering if any of these people could ever return to a normal life, he very much doubted it. But as he checked around once more, the answer became quite clear, none of them was his son.

Gloved hand tightening into fists, Slade felt his anger increase tenfold; of course it wouldn't be so easy. Ra's would be keeping his son close at hand, a cowards resort, a desperate ploy to shield himself against the inevitable. He had seen such a tactic many times before on countless missions, and- Slade froze, his mind traveling back to another time, another place _._

 _Joey's green eyes stared at him in wild terror, a knife pressed against his throat._ _"You do this one thing Terminator, and we can all go home happy"_ _The knife drifted across the boy's skin, dancing dangerously close to cutting flesh. His son's eyes began filling up with tears._

 _"I've got a better idea." Slade smirked underneath his mask, blind to his son's fear. And then he charged forward, confident in his power and speed, feeling a rush of adrenaline at his own superiority. He felt delight at the thought of being a hero to his family, while bringing vengeance down upon those foolish enough to challenge him. And then he heard a weak cry. It was the last sound Joey ever uttered as he clutched at his bleeding throat_ _._

Letting out a breath he hadn't even known he was holding, Slade turned and headed out of the dungeon, turning his back on the broken captives. He wasn't here for them. Meanwhile his mind began repeating what his heart already knew. He wouldn't fail his son again. No ego, only the mission. Save Joey, and bring hell to those that had taken him.

* * *

Raven tried to locate Joey through his emotions as Robin blindly ran through the halls and down corridors. Right now the boy wonder was actually doing a better job at finding their missing friend, for while he might have had no idea on where he was going, every twist and turn took them deeper into the lair of Ra's which, in theory at least, meant they were getting closer to finding the man who had orchestrated this entire event, while Raven suffered a roadblock.

She couldn't find him; her friend wasn't even a blip on her radar and no matter how much she tried to focus there was nothing to be found. Fear swept through the empath when she had first discovered this, and she had to reassure herself that it was difficult to detect anything if someone was in a state where their mind was not active like a dreamless sleep. Jericho could simply be knocked out somewhere, alive and unharmed. She prayed that was the case. The alternative was that, well, she tried to block out such thoughts and focus on her seemingly impossible task.

Twirling his staff every few seconds, Robin led them down another stunning hallway, a pair of great doors awaiting them at the end.

"This is it." Robin hissed as he threw himself at the obstacle in his path. Kicking the doors open, the boy wonder leapt inside, poised and ready to move in an instant. Raven was right behind him, her hands cloaked in dark energy, ready for battle. The office and study of the great Ra's al Ghul however was empty, devoid of any sign of the madman who called it his own. "Great." The leader of the Titans growled, moving deeper into the study the boy wonder began to search, his eyes seeking out any visible clues that could point him in a new direction. But there were none to be found, Ra's had once again eluded them.

Taking this opportunity to try once again to seek out her friend, Raven closed her eyes and reached out, casting a mental net as far as she could covering a majority of Ra's home and lair. There was a lot to take in as she was suddenly made aware of hundreds of individual's feelings.

Joey, she needed to find Joey. Shuffling through the sources of the emotions in her mind, Raven began dismissing any that were too weak or difficult to read as they belonged to those she was unfamiliar with, her brain, having mapped out those nearest and dearest to her heart, allowing her to detect and separate them with ease.

Starfire remained above them; flying just on the edges of her mental net, the alien was a mixture of hope and fear, topped off with anger. Robin wasn't that much different although his fear was starting to overcome him, the longer they looked without results the worse it would be on all of them. Mentally shuffling her two friends to one side, the hunt continued.

Shifting through strangers emotions and removing them from her mental net, Raven became aware that Beast Boy was mysteriously absent, giving off no trace for the empath to locate. For a moment she panicked, fear producing dark scenarios of death and pain that her brain absorbed like a sponge. Readjusting her focus, she sought answers for the puzzle quickly, tapping into Cyborg's own emotions. Fear was not present in the Titan's head, instead anger and will burnt bright from him, a common enough mind-set for the half machine hero, especially when he was in a fight. If something bad had happened to Beast Boy he would have called Starfire. And he would be a lot angrier and the lack of fear meant that Cyborg was sure he could handle whatever situation he was in, Beast Boy was fine, in her own mind at least. Reassuring herself of these facts and fighting off the fear that waited on the edge of her mind, Raven slowly moved on, seeking out other individuals in her net. Find Joey first, Beast Boy was going to be fine, Joey was the one who needed their help.

Probing a few beings she was not familiar with Raven detected a sudden surge of great fear from one of them, it was masked quickly but she refused to let the source escape from her. Concentrating, her eyes flashed white as she locked onto the individual, securing them in the mental net, as all other presences faded from her mind, she could now tell that the origin of the emotion was slowly moving away from her, with a sense of urgency as will and fear battled out in their mind, each vying for dominance, the individual picked up speed, continuing on their path, escape? Could it be-

Opening her eyes, Raven turned to see Robin eyeing her with concern.

"Is every th-"

"I think I've found him." She declared, causing Robin's own fear to momentarily fade.

"Joey?"

"Ra's."

* * *

News during a siege was rarely a good thing; experience had taught him that. The best one could hope for is a message that the enemy leader had been slain during the assault, perhaps causing their men to lose heart, allowing the defenders to push them back. Otherwise it was just going to be reports that spelled doom and death.

Right now, as Ra's moved towards his escape, doom was chasing him like a ravenous wolf, one he could just keep ahead of. The heroes and Deathstroke where here and engaging his best, more allies where on the way and now a new problem had presented itself.

He had just received word that the alien girl was flying above them, keeping a watch for any sign of escape vehicles. This caused the grand master of the league of assassins to stop, just for a moment. If the hero was not dealt with quickly then he could not leave.

The reports on the alien left little doubt in Ra's mind that he could not outrun her, and in a straight up fight, even his best servants could not guarantee a kill, such was her power. But the league had not survived on brute force alone for all these centuries. A diversion, he needed to lure her away long enough for him to get a head start. It wasn't a perfect plan, but he was not working under perfect conditions, for every second he remained here brought the Titans and their allies closer to him.

It took more than a minute for his plan to be laid out to Talia, losing the gift of speech was something Ra's was not pleased about, his voice carried power and all those that heard it did as he commanded or trembled at the sound. There was never any need for him to repeat himself, and so rarely to explain his choices or actions, now he had to use his hands to deliver his orders, opening him up to misinterpretation and questioning glances, robbing him of a power he had wielded for so long, absolute authority.

Still his daughter was nothing short of brilliant, truly worthy of his name. In seconds of finishing his command she had the radio in hand and was seeing that the plan was carried out, how long it took to execute however was another matter. Getting a second helicopter fuelled and ready for take-off took precious time, time that he was running out of. Once she was finished Ra's once again led them to the landing pad.

Their timing was everything in this gamble, they would need to leave the moment the alien gave chase to the distraction, a second helicopter hidden a few miles to the east, once Starfire was drawn away by the bait, he would escape unnoticed leaving no trail for the heroes to follow.

So much was in play, lesser men would have suffered a panic attack or a breakdown of some sort under all the mounting pressure, but Ra's remained calm as he walked in the body of Joseph Wilson. He would finish this; he had come too far to be stopped now.

* * *

Raven led them onwards, moving through the house as a blur, while Robin struggled to keep up. It was faint, and the trail was growing more and more difficult to follow. If the being she had detected had been Ra's then his mood was shifting quickly and his mental walls where slowly rebuilding, dampening his mental signal, whatever surge of fear that had thrown him off had now passed, leaving only a remnant of emotion to track. Still there was still something to follow, and right now that was better than nothing.

The house was empty, surprising both heroes as they continued moving. They had expected resistance, traps, and walls of enemies to slow them down. Instead the two were moving at their own leisure through the lair of one of the most dangerous men alive. While Robin never dropped his guard, his eyes and ears alert and ready for anything that could potentially try and harm them, Raven flew on almost without a care, her own focus being directed at the ever weakening trail. If she lost it now…

"Raven!" Coming to a stop, the cloaked empath turned, facing the boy wonder as he stood still. For a moment she was confused, unsure on why she had been called, eye's darting around furiously Raven tried seeking out what it was that had brought Robin to a halt, then she felt frustration as her link to the fading presence was severed.

Once again casting her mental net, Raven quickly found that their one lead had vanished. Ra's had raised his mental walls and was in complete control of his emotional state. Their window of opportunity was gone. Angry, she was about to growl at Robin, chew him out for distracting her in this crucial time but the boy wonder raised a hand. "Listen." He said.

She did, her rage momentarily subsiding and for a second Raven heard nothing, the world was silent except for a distant hum. A slow never changing beat like the flap of a humming bird's wings, or the sound of a helicopter's propeller's powering up. Eye widening in realisation, she watched the boy wonder grin before both heroes began to move, now following their ears towards the ever growing noise. Turning one final corner, Robin and Raven passed through a door that took them both outside onto a landing pad, where they saw Ra's escape vehicle prepped and ready for take-off.

"Gotcha." Robin smirked in triumph, a feeling Raven couldn't help but share but her anger from earlier still remained. The urge to reach out with her power and crush the vehicle into nothing was overwhelming. To deny the monster, who had taken their friend and lead them on this chase, his last hope of escape sparked some dark joy inside of her. How would this make Ra's feel? Scared, small, weak? He deserved to feel such things, and he would.

Stretching her arm out in front of her, Raven's dark aura consumed the helicopter, the spinning blades froze, unable to move inside of the bubble she had created, then closing her hand into a fist; the sound of screeching metal filled the air as the vehicle was slowly crushed.

Wincing at the sound, Robin quickly realised he wasn't the only one pained by the helicopter's death song. The pilot and engineer's, who had been patiently waiting for their master since Shiva's departure, were now racing towards Raven, determined to stop the demon child in any way they could. Reaching for tools or blunt objects, they would have attempted to bash Raven's head in with their bare hands if it came down to it, however before any of them got within spitting distance of the cloaked empath, Robin struck first.

Jumping towards the first attacker, the boy wonder planted his booted foot in their face, sending them stumbling backwards with a broken bloody nose. Catching the next engineer's attention, they tried to club the acrobatic hero with a wrench, only for Robin to dodge and duck under every swing.

While the crew had the same devote loyalty to Ra's as the rest of his organisation, the four lacked any real combat skill, allowing Robin to battle all of them without serious issue.

Striking out hard with a series of quick punches to the pilot's ribs and chest, Robin sent the man sprawling backwards with a quick kick, before moving onto the final engineer. Meanwhile the helicopter had lost most of its shape; its propeller was shattered with dozens of individual pieces pressed against the hull, the cockpits glass windows had been reduced to tiny broken fragments, and the craft was giving out a loud groan as its structure collapsed in on itself, reducing it to a ball of scrap metal. For a moment it hovered above the ground, still covered in the dark aura, tightening itself into as small a shape as it possibly could. Then releasing it with her mind, Raven watched the remains of the helicopter crash down onto the landing pad, wobble before becoming still.

Moving to stand beside his friend, Robin offered her a small smile as he examined her handy work. Ra's was trapped. He would have no choice but to reveal himself to the Titans or face Deathstroke's wrath alone and with Starfire watching from above, escape would be impossible. They had done it. Turning away from the ball of scrap, the boy wonder was about to relay this all to Raven when he stopped dead. His mind raced, but his mouth was numb. Confused, the empath turned and followed his stare.

"Joey." She whispered.

Raven couldn't quite believe it; he was standing only a few feet away from them. After all they had been through; all of their fears and doubts that had kept nagging at them from the darkest depths of their minds, all of that had been proven wrong. He was alive. Joey was alive. Studying her friend's face for a moment the team empath was able to see that his time in captivity had altered Joey physically and no doubt mentally too. His skin looked paler, sickly, like the time he had tried eating Tamaranian food only to rush to the bathroom five minutes later. Then there was the twitch in his left knee, even as he was standing as still as a statue Raven was quickly able to spot it, the slight quiver in his leg as he fought to remain on his feet. Had he been injured? Tortured? Or was it merely a sign of exhaustion. Had he been allowed to rest, could he? Had Joey's own mind kept him awake as it relived whatever horrors it was that Ra's had forced upon him.

Had they been alone, had Talia and the rest of Joey's captives simply turned to dust where they stood, Raven wasn't sure what she would have said. She could repair the physical damage inflicted upon her friend, but the mental scars. They were far harder to heal as experience had taught her many a time. Eyes narrowing in hate, Raven tried to identify the master criminal, the man that had brought this nightmare upon the Titans her power demanding vengeance, however, nobody matching Ra's physical description appeared to be present. Coward, she thought, eyeing each of the beings standing near Joey, wondering if that one of the black clad guards could possibly the master mind himself hiding amongst his pawns until she saw what it was they were carrying on their shoulders. A body.

"Surrender." Robin ordered, meeting Talia's icy glare with his own. She wasn't going to obey him, she still saw him as Batman's kid sidekick, dismissing everything he had done and accomplished on his own over the years, reducing him back to when he was twelve years old and still a rookie. In her mind he had no right to tell her to do anything no matter how bleak her situation was. This fact caused the boy wonder to almost bark the next part of his sentence. "You're outmatched and your big escape plan just got crushed. Give us back Joey and no one needs to get hurt."

Raven almost snarled at those worlds. Plenty of these people deserved to get hurt. But she kept silent, allowing Robin to take the lead as she watched the last of their enemies silently weigh up the facts.

A flicker of movement in Talia's eyes betrayed her thoughts to the boy wonder. She was considering it. Glancing down at Jericho, for a brief second she paused for a moment. "I think you overestimate your position." She said smiling at him, her voice taking on a superior tone. Trying to fight back his anger and keep his head in the present Robin laid down the facts, determined to wipe that smug look of her face.

"Me and Raven can easily take care of ourselves for several minutes against you." He eyed the group, noticing as Raven had, that Ra's was being stretchered out on the shoulders of his guards, meaning for the moment he was out of the combat equation. "Starfire can be here in thirty seconds." He added glancing at Raven's communicator, sitting on her belt. "Cyborg and Beast Boy could be here in two minutes, three at the most." He waited, allowing Talia a moment as she processed each of the hero's names, faces and threat levels. "You might outnumber us seven to three," he glanced at Joey who hadn't moved so much as a muscle towards them. "But we easily outclass you and your goons." Robin felt a surge of pride as a look of anger passed over her face and then it was gone. Hidden behind a mask of indifference. But the boy wonder smirked; his point had clearly been made.

Then taking a decisive step back from Joey, Talia slowly raised her hands slowly above her head. Robin didn't trust the action, knowing full well that she was more than capable of slipping an arm around Joey's neck faster than most ordinary humans could perceive. While she may not have been as insane as her father, she still carried the same kind of pride and would gladly turn this into a hopeless hostage situation if only to spite her enemies. But as Joey slowly began moving towards them, neither the guards, still carrying Ra's body nor his daughter, made any move to stop their one bargaining chip.

Moving directly for the leader of the Titans, Joey never once looked back at his captors. Robin, gave his friend only a moments glance as they grew only a few feet apart, keeping his attention on his enemies as they continued to remain still. In the back of his head, a voice whispered to him, it's too easy. Ra's had fought hard for Jericho, risking the full might of the Titans, Deathstroke and the Justice League upon himself, now at the final hurdle he was giving up?

Joey was almost close enough to touch now. He was almost safe.

No, Ra's wasn't doing anything, his mind corrected itself, Talia was calling the shots as her father was currently incapacitated. Why? Age? No, he looked like he had just regenerated himself, his hair was a rich black with only the slightest hint of grey, and the Lazarus pits properties should have allowed him to fight off any aliment or disease that could bring him down. So why was he being carried out like that? A trick?

Joey stood almost shoulder to shoulder alongside his friends. Turning the blond hero faced Talia and her loyal group of foot soldiers that held Ra's aloft. Robin didn't know what he would have done if he was in his friend's position, scream abuse at his captors? Coldly mock their failure or simply let silence do the talking for him? What must Joey have been through?

Believing he had the situation for the most part under control the boy wonder was about to tell Raven to call in all the Titans and finally bring this ordeal to an end. But as Robin was about to give the order, from the corner of his eye he saw Joey's foot racing towards his face.

* * *

Starfire wasn't happy about being put in reserve. She understood the need for the position having well learnt the value of the strategy and how a single unit, waiting for the right moment, can change the outcome of even the largest of battles. But no one in any of those grand schemes and epic wars had ever been comfortable waiting for the order to strike, all while friends and comrades fought and died on the battlefield and she was no different.

Keeping her eyes peeled she tried to focus on her objective, her communicator was attached to her belt all while she was ready to move at the first beep. The castle beneath her was old and strong and had survived against both the elements and many conflicts of the past, but against her strength the stone reinforced walls would crumble like Styrofoam. If she was needed. Every minute was agonising, as her mind raced with questions, how were things going? Had they found Joey? Did they need her help but were unable to contact her? Should she go in and aid them, but in doing so she risked allowing Ra's a chance to slip away. Eye's flashing with power, born from her frustration, she prayed for an answer. The human expression, no news is good news, was clearly not meant to be applied in such a situation as this.

* * *

Robin didn't roll with the kick; in fact he didn't do anything except stagger backwards, his head becoming numb while his ears rang with the blow. The boy wonder had been sucker punched and while his instincts were already moving his body into a defensive stance, Ra's was already lashing out with a second powerful strike. Talia on the other hand was moving in time with her father, Raven had been stunned by the sudden betrayal of Joey, taking her focus off the ball, allowing the daughter of the demon's head to reach for her radio. In a moment the plan to distract the alien was in motion, robbing the Titans of their most powerful asset, but the battle was far from over.

Eyes flashing white with power, Raven turned on Joey, gripping him with her dark aura, then spinning around, she mentally threw her friend away from them, buying Robin time to recover from the surprise attack, meanwhile her own mind was racing with questions. Why?

Turning to the six black clad warriors that had stood silently holding their master's former body, Talia instructed them to focus on Raven, while her father, who had quickly recovered from the demon child's throw, was now once again attacking Robin, only for the boy wonder to match and counter every strike thrown his way. Throwing her radio aside, Talia reached for the holster on her shoulder, drawing a small but powerful pistol.

Stretching out a hand, Raven focused on the crushed up remains of the helicopter, her dark aura engulfing the wreckage, then before Talia had even time to aim, she had sent the scrap ball flying towards the assassin.

Rolling to one side, Talia managed to get off a single shot that struck a black aura wall, rendering the attack harmless. But Raven's focus was then divided as the six black clad warriors joined the fray. Leaping backwards, giving herself room to move, the empath began ducking and diving away from numerous attacks, all while she reached for her communicator.

Robin had always been impressed with Jericho, since the moment he had first seen the blond fight he had sensed a kindred spirit. Both were incredible martial artists at a young age, drawing moves and teachings from a variety of styles. Just like the boy wonder, Joey had been taught many of his skills while still a child by his parents. But whereas Robin had been taught acrobatics, gymnastics and some basic self-defence, Jericho had been taught survival skills that would have made the regular armed forces look like the boy scouts. And yet the blond hero had never once carried an attitude about it. Always willing to teach and learn, Joey was free from any of the arrogance that often came with being a prodigy, it didn't matter if he had several years more hand to hand experience than Robin, he was always listening to the boy wonder's lectures during sparing practice, silently praising his leader for his hard work and dedication to the subject.

They had spent hours together in the gym, teaching, talking and opening up to each other. For a while Robin thought there was no one on the team he could rely on more in the heat of battle. Until a certain somebody just happened to be Joey's father. But even then, when he had been bitter and hurt over it, the boy wonder had never expected to find himself in a situation like this.

Ducking under a swing for his head, Robin tried to kick out at Joey's legs, only for his opponent to jump aside the attack. Rolling backwards the boy wonder tried to put some distance between him and Jericho, as the ringing in his head remained, throwing him off balance.

But Ra's pressed the boy, never once allowing him a second to recover. Like walking, fighting in Joseph Wilson's body was alien but familiar, the moves he used where the same attacks he had used a thousand times against his enemies. The boy's body was used to the rigors of combat, so there was little to no resistance of the flesh whenever he made to strike the detective's prodigy. And yet, there were flaws, Joseph Wilson's muscles cried out for rest, as Ra's continued his never ending assault on the boy wonder. Kicking Robin hard in the ribs, he experienced a sharp pain in his own leg, even as his opponent was knocked back by the blow.

Time was not on his side, just like everything it seemed that he was going to have to claw his way to victory. But while Ra's was unable to keep up the battle for long, his superior experience and fighting style solidified his victory, the boy could not defeat him, and the dark child would be brought down by Talia and his men. Everything wou- Ra's wanted to hiss out in pain as Robin ducked under a skull shattering punch only to deliver his own, right into Joey's solar plexus driving a gasp from the mute.

Robin's body was sore and his head may have been fuzzy, but you didn't spend years fighting alongside someone to not notice some irregularities. The first was Joey's entire fighting style, lethal. That was the best way to describe it, where normally Jericho fought defensively, using a variety of moves, that would often cause opponents to hurt themselves, or leave them wide open for quick but precise counters, here it was a barrage of pain, designed to break bones, cause fractures and beat someone into bloody submission or worse. This was not Joey.

Then, if he needed any more clues that something might have been off about his suddenly treacherous friend, was the execution of this sudden style shift. Joey was fighting like a man who had seconds to live, every move was wild and filled with power, as if there was only this one moment to finish everything, Joey was normally conservative, always aware that danger could present itself at any time and he never threw everything he had into a single battle. It had been something Robin had always admired about his friend.

Kicking out at the blond, Robin's leg was knocked aside and Joey thrust his open palm into the boy wonder's nose. It hurt. A lot. Staggering back, the hero was just able to perceive a foot once again flying towards his face. Throwing himself to one side he managed to avoid a second knock to the head.

* * *

If she had been human, Starfire might have missed the small black dot in the distance slowly rise up against the grey sky, if she had been human she might have lost track of the object when she blinked, believing it to be a speck of dirt, or a distant bird. If she had been human, the distraction wouldn't have been needed at all and Ra's would have one less problem hounding him.

But Starfire wasn't human, and Tamaranean eyes could rival those belonging to a hawk. Identifying the distant shape in seconds as a fleeing helicopter, the orange alien knew what was happening and with a burst of speed was tearing through the sky after the vehicle, all while she reached for out her communicator. This was it, just as Robin had suspected, Ra's was trying to trick them and then slip away while they were distracted, once more the madman was running and hiding rather than face the Titan's in combat. Eye's burning bright green with fury, Starfire flipped open the yellow device in her hand, then refusing to let the helicopter escape her sight, her thumb quickly sought out a button, allowing her to call the entire team at once.

Quickly closing the distance between herself and the fleeing cowards, Starfire could hear the dial ringtone over the rush of wind as she continued to accelerate. She needed to make contact with her friends quickly, let them know that Ra's had once again deceived them and that they were wasting their time fighting his minions. But, once they learnt that this nightmare was almost over, that Joey was within reach… They could do this, they had come so far already. In a few minutes this would finished and they could all go home.

Inspired by that bright thought, Starfire pressed on, following the helicopter as it flew further and further away from Ra's home, the pilot desperate to lead the alien on as long as a chase as possible. It didn't matter to what happened to him, he was one of many pieces in the master's great game, and under his rule and guidance the world would prosper. It was these thoughts that filled the pilots mind as he drove ahead.

For the master.

* * *

Ducking under a kick, Raven reached out with both hands, her dark aura engulfing one of the unconscious guards, then before her attacker could strike again she had sent them sprawling away as the unconscious body of their comrade flew into them from behind. No time to rest, the empath was forced to bring up a protective barrier as Talia once again took a shot at her, this time aiming for her head. Not that it mattered as the bullet struck Raven's shield with little effect. Robin had been right, she and the boy wonder could more than handle Talia and her little band quite easily, and while her own communicator had been damaged in the fight, Raven wasn't too worried about back up at this point. Once she dealt with Ra's daughter she could focus on Joey and try to figure out what these monsters had done to him.

Firing with her weapon two more times, Talia threw the gun down once its clip had been emptied and charged straight towards Raven. If the empath so wished the woman would have spent the remainder of her life pounding away at the black barrier that protected her. Compared to the likes of Cinderblock or Mammoth, Talia wasn't even able to make a dent in the shield. But as much as Raven wanted to take this woman down a peg or two, she had bigger priorities. Focusing on the ball of helicopter wreckage, the empath lifted it up a few feet of the ground before hurling it towards herself and Talia.

The demon's daughter was quick to react and leapt aside once more avoiding the oncoming projectile, but this time was different, this time Raven was not distracted by Ra's foot soldiers, preventing her from following through with her attack. As Talia came to a stop, she saw from the corner of her eye a swirl of darkness. A second later she felt a foot being driven into the back of her head. Staggering forward, momentarily stunned, the demon's daughter tried to push herself back onto her feet, fighting through the pain and surprise. But Raven wasn't going to allow Talia a second's recovery time.

Falling back onto one leg, Raven unleashed a blur of kicks, each hitting their intended target point on Talia's body. Then, following through as Joey had once taught her, the empath swung her whole leg in a roundhouse kick, striking the side of her enemy's head. Down went the demon's daughter.

Looking over to where Robin and Joey now fought, she could see that the boy wonder was trying to pull their friend into an arm lock, one which Jericho was fighting against with every fibre of his being. Exhausted, the blond hero was breathing loudly, every muscle in his body screaming out for air and rest. But there was none, for he continued to resist, to try and strike out at Robin with any free part of his body.

Racing towards the two, Robin redoubled his efforts, putting everything he had into holding the blond teen still. "Raven, I need- arhg!" The boy wonder's head was knocked back as Joey had just driven his skull into his captor's chin. But still Robin did not let go. Grabbing at Jericho's one free arm, Robin pulled them both back while placing his foot into Joey's spine, pushing the blond forward with his leg. "We need to calm him down." He yelled as Raven arrived.

The wild look in Joey's eyes chilled Raven, they were animalistic, frenzied. Robin could have broken every bone in the crazed teen's arms and he would still try and beat them to death with them. Pain, hate and rage where all mixing into one and Raven wasn't sure what she could do to help her friend. But she was going to try.

Shaking his head wildly from side to side, Joey snapped his teeth at the empath's approaching hands. Digging his knee sharply into the Jericho's back, Robin was able to distract him long enough for Raven to lay an open palm on either side of the blond's head. Instantly the boy wonder felt the struggling teen weaken, his arms grew slack, his body became still and the frantic breathing was replaced by deep gasps as Joey stopped pushing himself and began to relax. The wildness was gone. For a moment, everything was looking better, they had him. Raven could fix whatever mind control madness they had inflicted upon Joey, they could all go home.

"This isn't Joey." Robin almost let go of Joey's arms, out of surprise, but quickly caught himself and tightened his grip on the now relaxed teenager. What could she mean, it had to be him, in mind no, but in body yes. This was Joseph Wilson, Ra's had done something to him, turned him into a puppet, but they could fix that. "Who are you?" Raven snarled, staring into the eyes of Joey.

"Raven, they've done something to him." Robin began to explain, as Joey's hand's tightened into fists. "Drugged him, I've seen it before. We need to get him help." The blond began shaking his shoulders, trying to slip free of the boy wonder's grip, the frenzy was returning, but Raven didn't even seem to notice, if anything she seemed to be bringing it back. Her hands where no longer laid flat on his head, but gripping it tightly, her slender fingers digging into the sides of Joey's skull.

"This is not Joey." She stated again, anger bubbling in her words. "There is someone else here."

"Someone… else?" Robin growled, pushing back into Joey's back again with his knee as the struggling increased. "Who? A telepath?"

Detective mind racing, Robin ran a list through his brain on who could possibly be infecting their friend's thoughts. Psimon? No, he was still in that comma. Brother Blood? No, this wasn't his MO. Who could Ra's have found who co- Ra's?

Eye's darting over to the still man's body. Unmoved since his loyal guards had left him there for a moment, Robin saw it all. A confused mess of questions and answers, start to align perfectly into one horrifying image.

Why would Ra's al Ghul kidnap Joey Wilson? That had been the question plaguing the Titan's and Deathstroke and now, they had the answer.

To get a new body. That's what this was all about, another scheme to cheat death.

Anger surging through him, the boy wonder gritted his teeth together and drove his kneel hard into the back of Joey's spine. "You're in there aren't you?" Raven looked away from Joey's face for a moment to stare at her furious leader before returning her attention to the blond Titan. "You took him just so you could escape death?"

If Robin expected Ra's to answer him verbally he was disappointed as the resistance only continued physically, as Joey's body was pushed to the breaking point.

"Raven can you get him out?"

Robin didn't know what it was he was asking, in truth he didn't actually care. Who knew what would happen to Ra's once she forced him from Joey's body, would he die, his spirit or mind or whatever it was that he transferred into Joseph fade away into nothing, or would he get lucky and once again avoid his fate?

"I'm trying." Raven growled, "He's fighting me."

"How can I help?" Robin asked desperately, wondering if he could weaken Ra's by attacking Joey's body or if that would only be harming their friend.

"Hold him; he can't keep this up forever." Robin nodded and swallowed hard. If any of the other Titan's where here this would have been easy. Starfire, Cyborg or Beast Boy could have held Ra's down long enough for Raven to do whatever she wanted. But the boy wonder could feel his arms start to sag, and his leg ache. He was tired, his adrenaline and anger were the only things keeping him going but Ra's kept fighting him, kept pushing both Robin and Joey's bodies closer to exhaustion and the Demon's head wasn't going to stop, he wouldn't not until he had won. "Almost there." Raven growled, her eyes flashing from white to a bright crimson.

The boy wonder was pulled forward by a sudden lunge from Ra's as he tried to strike at Raven with Joey's own head. Only at the last second was the leader of the Titan's able to pull the blond back and prevent the mental battle from being interrupted.

Raven's eyes were now a burning red and Joey was starting to shake violently. Ra's was no longer struggling against Robin as the body of Joseph Wilson was being wretched free from his control, and that made the demon's head quite angry. With a mental roar he tried to hold onto his collapsing hold but Raven was there, fighting him at every turn, and she wasn't alone. He could feel it, the mind of Joey Wilson was retuning into consciousness.

He had come so far, struggled against impossible odds and never once backed down from the challenges that arose in his wake. All his life Ra's had been a fighter, a ruler yes, but first and foremost a fighter. He had battled for everything he ever had, clashing with man, nature and even death itself.

But he wasn't going to win, not this time. Raven's eyes burned like the heart of the sun and for a moment, Robin felt true fear, as it was not two eyes that blazed under her hood but four. And then with a great scream of rage, she threw her hands away from Joey's head and fell backwards.

Immediately Joey was still. It was as if he had been struck dead, all life in his body was gone. There was no more struggling, no more shaking, only stillness. Acting on blind instinct, Robin released his friend and moved for Raven who was lying still on the floor. Finger searching for a pulse, the boy wonder let out a gasp of relief as he felt her blood flow move strong and steady. She was alive; turning away he crawled towards Joey, repeating the same trick.

For a moment Robin could feel nothing and he panicked. A million things could have just happened and any one of them could have killed Joey. Shock, trauma, sheer exhaustion. Perhaps Raven had simply overdone it.

"Joey?" Robin whispered, his finger still desperately seeking a sigh of life from the blond's wrist. "Joey?" He tried again a little louder as his free hand shook the still body of his friend. He got no reaction. Abandoning the wrist, he moved to the neck, seeking any sign of life. "Joey please wake up."

Robin's eyes were starting to droop. He didn't know why his body was choosing now of all times to stop working, here when he was needed most but the boy wonder wasn't going to accept the approaching darkness silently. Struggling with Joey's still body, he tried to lay him flat on the ground. "He- help." He managed to cry out as he pushed himself up onto his knee's placing his hand's above Jericho's heart. "Help me."

Raven didn't stir. Eye's closing; Robin found it took a herculean amount of effort to open them again. "Help!"

Trying to remember his CPR training, that felt so faded and from so long ago, Robin was momentarily robbed of the world as once again his eyes closed themselves, but during that moment of darkness where his brain so desperately wanted to sleep, the boy wonder heard the sound of heavy footsteps racing towards him. "Cyborg?" He croaked weekly.

Then, Robin was weightless, flying away from Joey. If his body wasn't so tired and numb he would have felt the impact that had sent him through the air, instead his body saved the pain for something to be processed later. Right now it needed rest; everything else would have to wait. The boy wonder was unconscious before he had hit the ground.

* * *

 **A/N: Almost done guys.**

 **Next up: Slade vs. Ra's. And perhaps Joey finally goes home? Or not.**

 **Thanks for all those who reviewed, as always it is most appreciated. Thank you again for all those who read, and hey it's not too late to give some feedback before the end. Anything I can improve on be it grammar, style or just how I write I would really like to know.**

 **Until next time.**


	13. Chapter 12

**Final chapter and epilogue.**

 **A/N : Bold = Sign language**

* * *

He had followed the sound of the boy wonder's cries like a mad dog. He hadn't paid any attention to his surroundings, he was blind to all the details, his higher mind was completely shut off, because right now the driving force of Slade Wilson wasn't his sharp tactical mind forged from years of combat experience, but a protective parental drive.

Racing out onto the battle torn hanger Slade didn't see the defeated bodies of his enemies, another day and he would have examined them in less than a heartbeat, his mind making a quick mental list of information to be stored away for later use. Now he ran past them, unsure if they were alive, dead or simply unconscious. Even Ra's and Raven shared this fate, Slade almost stepping on the downed empathy. All that mattered was Joey.

Robin was leaning over him, trying to help him. In his confused and exhausted state, the boy wonder mistook the heavy footfalls of Slade's armoured boots as Cyborg's metal feet. A glimmer of hope was born in the Titan leader's mind as he though aid was racing towards him, but instead of a comforting palm on his shoulder, Robin received a backhand to the side of his head, Deathstroke didn't even watch him land, falling to his knee's beside his child.

"Joey?" Slade's voice was barley a whisper.

Reaching out for his son, Slade found that he barley recognised him. He looked so sick, so broken. In all of his years of being a father, never had he seen Joey look this way, he was so pale, like all the blood had been drained from him, his usually bright blond hair was now dirty and grimy and the exhausted rings around his son's eyes were made all the most darker thanks the paleness of his skin, making him look as if he were on death's door.

Reaching for the back of his head, Slade's fingers found the hidden clasps that held his mask together. A second later and the orange and black helmet had been thrown to one side. Lowering his head near Joseph's mouth, Slade listened for his son's breathing. Nothing. And then, a weak intake of breath, no louder than a whisper, but it was enough. Joey was alive.

"I'm here Joey." Slade said, running his gloved hand over his son's filthy hair. "You're going to be okay." The last part was a promise he wasn't even sure he could keep. He was no doctor, yes he had years of experience patching people up but he couldn't even tell what was doing this to Joey. Exhaustion? The injuries? Something Ra's cooked up?

He could guess all day and still not come up with the right answer, and none of it would be of any help. Growling in frustration, Slade took back his mental control, pushing his emotions and parental instincts away, they served no purpose at the moment and clouded his train of thought. He needed to help Joey, how could he do that?

Looking around the battlefield, Slade found no signs of an answer. He was a mercenary of death; an assassin for hire, his job was to take lives not save them. Eyeing each of Ra's downed goons, he felt rage fester in his heart, what the hell was he expecting to find? A miracle cure?

A twitch of movement caused Slade's head to snap back to Joey. His son had just moved, although the action was not one of the child's choice. It looked like he was suffering from a case of the hiccups but the truth was much worse, it was an involuntary convulsion. Once more his son's body shook, followed by a third but weaker shake. The clock was ticking Joey needed help now or he could die.

Racking his brain, Slade tried to think of an answer, looking for any information he had on his location. And that is when he remembered something core about Ra's al Ghul. Ra's was afraid of dying; the man had something that kept him alive, something that he could use. A mystical pool of healing waters. The Lazarus pit.

It wasn't a plan, it was a stray idea that took flight and demanded attention and right now, Slade didn't have any other great ideas. The Lazarus pit was a mystery to him, the concept sounded almost ridiculous and he had no idea how it worked or what was required, all he knew is that Ra's kept one close to ward of the reaper's hand.

Turning to Joey, Slade experienced a moment of self-doubt, was this really a good idea? No. It wasn't. It was a plan filled with holes and what if's, a terrible plan that should never be considered let alone put into action. But what else could he do? Only someone like Superman could get his son to a hospital in time, and even then would it do any good? The Lazarus pit's had apparently kept Ra's ticking for decades, possibly centuries. It could save Joey, it would! He just needed to find it.

Slipping an arm under his son's back, Slade was about to pick his son up, when some part of him demanded he turn back to the unconscious combatants. The part of him that made him so careful, the part that demanded details, not blind action. For a moment, he eyed each of the League of assassin members carefully, believing for a moment that one of them could possibly be awake and playing possum.

Nothing, they remained exactly as they had since Robin and Raven had brought them dow- Raven! Removing his arm from underneath his son, Slade carefully laid his Joey flat on the floor once again before he turned and raced towards a new target.

Raven was the most powerful of the Titans, her abilities were numerous and given her ancestry potentially limitless. Many a time the team had been saved by her powers, and now it was time for her to do it once more. She would save Joey's life. Unlike the Lazarus pit's that he only knew from rumour and half-truth's, Raven's healing powers were known to the mercenary, he had seen her in action many times, displaying incredible feats of power and self-control.

"Raven!" He barked, stomping towards the unconscious empath, the idea of the Lazarus pit forgotten. She didn't react to his presence, causing Slade to growl in anger as he pulled her up by her hood. Giving her a quick shake, the one eyed mercenary was treated to the same result. Moving her with ease, he carried Raven towards Joey, making sure she was held somewhat upright; once they had arrived he tried to again wake up his best bet for Joey's survival.

A few light slaps, nothing serious, after all he wanted Raven awake and focused, not nursing a broken jaw. Dazing her would be only counterproductive at this point. It was on the forth tap to her face that her left eye opened a fraction, refusing to let her slink back into unconsciousness, Slade called her name again.

Perhaps it was thanks to the image of fear and death he had built up among the Titan's that caused Raven to snap awake and try to send him hurtling away from her, or it could have been just a demonic instinct to attack anything that awoke them. Either way, she was awake and ready for battle, even as she struggled to stand up under her own power.

But while her body may have been exhausted, her eyes blazed with fury. Her attempt to push Slade away had been purely a physical action; her hands lacked the black aura that often coated them. "Wh- where's Joey?" She hissed.

Nodding towards his still son, Slade watched as the fury flew from her face, replaced by fear. Kneeling down beside him, she laid a hand on his chest, only to deliver news Deathstroke was well aware of. "He's dyi-"

"Save him" The one eyed mercenary ordered, not wanting the truth to be spoken out loud, but the fact that Raven wasn't already using her powers to save him sent a shiver of fear down Slade's spine.

"I don't know if I can." She closed her eyes and began working her magic; she gave it a few seconds placing a hand on Joey's head while the other remained on his chest. "He's very weak."

Slade frowned but said nothing, watching as Raven continued her work. He was hoping for an immediate transformation, a flush of colour to return to Joey's face, the rings under his eyes to fade, his breathing to become strong and healthy, but none of this happened. Only Raven brow creasing in frustration as the full damage that had been inflicted upon Joey in such a short amount of time became increasingly clear to her.

She was partly to blame, the shock of removing Ra's from Joey's head had overwhelmed him, and with his tired and beaten body it had been all too much. There was much to do and Raven knew she didn't have the energy to fix it all. If she had more time, had Cyborg been here with his medical equipment from the Tower this might not have been as bleak of a situation. But right now it was all down to her, as Slade began to slowly pace.

"Where are the others?" She asked, not taking her eyes of Joey. Slade didn't answer, causing Raven to worry, she saw Robin, lying not too far away from her. A quick glance at the white haired mercenary told her all she needed to know.

"He's alive." Slade stated with a cold familiar tone that put the fear of God into any of the Titans. It was the voice they often heard in their nightmares. "Save Joey."

"I can't." It was a mistake, the moment the words passed her lips Slade was moving, but not towards her no, instead he went for the unconscious boy wonder. Before Raven could explain why she was unable to save Joey, how she could only do her best, Slade was kneeling over Robin, a volt gun pressed against the side of the teen's head.

Slade stared at Raven with an empty eye, if Joey could not be saved by her, then the Titans were useless to him, and a new reason to hate them would be added to his list. Adjusting the weapon's setting, Deathstroke waited for Raven's response.

* * *

Ra's was surprised to wake up.

As the demon child and he battled for the flesh of Joseph Wilson, he feared that should he be defeated he would be lost forever, becoming nothing more than a memory. Instead, he found himself returned to his own body, awake and very much alive. Closing his eyes, he took in a slow drawn out breath, so thankful to still live, that for this one precious second nothing else mattered. But then, once his moment had ended he began to scheme.

His enemies were near, and their allies drew closer, the boy had been lost, taken from him by the demon child, and now without the time to force another happy accident, he would need to abandon his hopes on using Joseph Wilson to gain a new body. But, given his recent brush with oblivion Ra's was quite happy to let the matter go, for now. Revenge would have to come later, first he must escape, take time to plan and rebuild from this defeat. Then he would move against the Titans and Slade Wilson.

He still had a few uses of the Lazarus pit, and while he did not look forward to such an idea, there was always the possibility of putting himself into cryostasis to allow Talia time to find another solution to his mortality, should he himself fail to solve his current crisis.

Opening his eyes, Ra's surveyed his surroundings; he heard little and saw about the same. For the moment, he could conclude that he was not in the presence of either Robin or the demon child. Good, had they remained he would have had to kill them, and done so gladly, but it would have wasted valuable time and energy of which he had none to spare.

Slowly moving his head to one side, he quickly took in the remains of his followers; all of them were defeated, including Talia. That was a problem, he did not wish to leave his loyal daughter behind but escaping with her might prove more trouble than she was worth, he could always arrange her release her from whatever jail they threw her in and the detective would more than likely keep her in Gotham to ensure her safety and allow him to keep an eye on Talia.

Yes, he would leave her for now. She would understand his reasons, and would continue to remain loyal to him, of that he was certain.

Decision made, Ra's slowly picked himself up, his body was sore from lack of use, but a few moments dedicated to stretching and moving his tired limbs quickly set that right. He was close to the entrance in which he had led his followers through, in a quick step he could be back down the tunnel, from there he could escape once more within the labyrinth that was his home, evading the remaining heroes, then he would just need to find a means of escape and go to one of his many strongholds where an army of servants awaited him.

Sparing a moment to look at Talia, he offered his daughter a quick farewell, then he took a step towards the tunnel. And then he stopped.

"Hello Ra's."

* * *

Raven had met Deathstroke's cold gaze with her own, refusing to blink, she could not save Joey, but she could buy him time, try and restore him to the point where it would be safe enough for him to travel to a hospital, but Slade wasn't interested in half measures. He wanted Joey back to full health now before his eye, and that simply wasn't going to happen.

She had been about to blink when Slade's eye moved slightly, his focus no longer on her. Turning her head, Raven saw the man that had occupied the stretcher, slowly rise to his feet. Ra's al Ghul.

Raven hadn't expected him to recover so soon, but in truth she was unaware just how much time had passed since she and Ra's had fought for Joey's body. While she had been drained by the duel, Ra's was well rested, given that his own body sat out the entire battle, and Joey's own took the hits and strain from his fight with Robin, had she been alone, Ra's would have found her quite easy prey. Had she been alone.

Caught between two enemies, Raven turned her attention back to Slade, only to find him gone. Faster than she could perceive he moved around her, putting himself firmly in-between Joey and Ra's. He spared only a moment to give Raven a warning glare then he began marching toward his son's kidnapper, returning his volt gun back into its holster.

"Hello Ra's." He called, stopping the man dead in his tracks.

* * *

Deathstroke the terminator was a terrifying sight on the best of days, but now without the mask to hide his face, Ra's al Ghul was treated to the full force of Slade's emotions. There was no doubt about it, the man was pissed. Every step he took was deliberate, slow, calculated, like a tiger stalking towards its prey.

Over the course of his long life many men had sought vengeance upon Ra's, some had been more successful than others, but none of them had ever had an opportunity such as this. Alone, with no one to fall back on, the demon's head was without his league for the first time in centuries, and now he would be forced to have a true one on one duel.

Too his credit, Ra's didn't bolt. But as the white haired mercenary continued his slow approach, Slade caught the look of fear in his eyes, still the demon's head did exactly as was expected of him, he put on his air of superiority, as a hand gracefully moved towards his sabres' handle all while he kept his eyes fixed on his enemy.

"Wilson." He greeted, as if he and Slade had bumped into each other at the store. He then spotted Raven treating Joey. Slade didn't bother to explain that she wasn't about to jump in and help him anytime soon, right now his son was her only concern. Seeing the still boy wonder, Ra's shook his head in mock disappointment. "Not like you to send children in to do your dirty work. I expected better."

Slade didn't answer him.

Ra's then took a step to his left, making sure his movements looked relaxed, but full of control, like a showman walking on stage. "However did you manage to convince the heroes to turn a blind eye to your little massacres?" He raised an eyebrow, watching as Slade continued staring at him his face a mask of controlled rage. Ra's had wondered if the man had used his mask to protect himself from being read during missions, but it seemed quite clear now that Deathstroke had quite the poker face. "Unless of course, they didn't and you just did what came naturally?"

Once more Ra's question was left unanswered, causing a feeling of irritation to crawl over his skin. He had expected something, abuse, a promise of pain and death, the silence the one eyed man was producing however was, unnerving. It was as if he hadn't realised what it was Ra's was getting at. Did he not think the heroes would arrest him for his acts of violence? Did he expect to be able to escape, fight them off? Was he unaware that at this very moment, the Titan's east were coming? Or did he just not care?

Deciding to waste no more time dancing around the issue, Ra's al Ghul cut straight to the heart of the matter. "Choose to have your revenge now, and you will have no chance to saviour it, in a few short minutes more of your former allies will be joining us and I doubt they will approve of what you have done." Silence. It was as if Slade was now the mute, not his son. Moving towards the entrance back into his lair, Ra's turned his back on the one eyed mercenary. "We will finish this another day." He promised.

Ra's al Ghul hadn't even managed to take a step before Slade stopped him in his tracks, not with a word, but an action, one the demon's head was all too familiar with having employed it many times over his long life. The sound of a sword being drawn in countless cultures with varying blades the effect was still the same, as was its meaning.

Hand tightening on his sabre's handle, Ra's quickly drew his own weapon of choice and faced Slade Wilson. This wasn't how things were meant to be. But today seemed cursed for the demon's head, no matter what actions he took, what plans he made, his enemies seemed immune to them and just kept coming for him.

And now he could no longer run from them.

* * *

Deathstroke gripped his blade with both hands as he advanced, never changing his pace he slowly moved towards the demon's head, waiting for the fear that would force Ra's into striking first.

He did not have to wait long, the moment he was within reach the demon's head moved with surprising speed. Thrusting out with his sword, Ra's planned to stab right through Slade's armoured torso and end the fight there and then.

Knocking the sabre aside with ease, Slade spun on the balls of his feet and drove his armoured elbow into Ra's face.

Stumbling back, Ra's managed to swing at Slade even as the pain of this hit forced him to close his eyes in reflex. Dancing out of reach of the oncoming strike, Deathstroke watched as Ra's recovered in less than a second and followed up his wild strike with a more focused attack, this time aiming for his opponent's unprotected head, that Slade quickly parried and countered.

Swords clashed and for a few seconds the sound of steel striking steel was all that could be heard in the ruined hanger. But while Ra's had centuries of skill and experience behind him, Slade's superior strength and speed meant that with each meeting of their blades he pushed the older man back, who struggled to keep up with the intense swordplay.

With a hiss of rage Ra's jumped back while lashing out with his sabre, landing a hit on Slade's lower leg. The armour he wore prevented any serious injury, but still Deathstroke was impressed with the old man's fighting prowess. Ra's reputation was not all talk.

Catching his breath, Ra's mind raced for an answer. He was outmatched.

Slade was stronger, faster, and possessed a healing factor that meant any wounds he was dealt with would soon vanish. He was also heavily armoured, carrying several weapons, all of which he had mastered.

Then there was Ra's. He had only his sabre and wore nothing but his usual garments. The after effects of the Lazarus pit still flowed through him but it hardly made him invincible. With every second that passed his defeat became more and more certain.

No he could not defeat Slade through sheer force; he would need to be cunning. With a twirl of his sabre and a sly grin on his face Ra's advanced once more towards Deathstroke, as his mind thought of Joey Wilson lying only a few short meters away.

Feinting a strike at Slade's head, Ra's once more aimed for the mercenary's leg only to find his sabre blocked. Before he could react, Deathstroke's palm was driven into Ra's nose, breaking it instantly. Blood flooded through the nasal cavity blocking off an essential airway, this mixed with the pain from the hit caused the demon's head to lose focus for a brief second. And that was all Slade needed.

Driving his foot into Ra's chest, Slade watched the man who had inflicted horror and torment upon his son went flying, his sword almost slipping from his grasp, then landing several feet away in an undignified heap, the demon's head raced to pick himself up all while his body slid into a defensive stance.

But the injuries he had been dealt quickly took their toll on Ra's. With a nose flooded with blood, his mouth was his only means of drawing breath and the powerful kick had driven most of the air from his lungs, causing the demon's head to wheeze and gasp as he picked himself up.

Thrusting out in desperation, Ra's tried to one again run through the one eyed mercenary, only for Slade's gloved hand to stop the blade cold. For a second they struggled silently. Ra's pushed with all of his strength, trying to force his sabre forward, while Slade continued to hold the blade still with a single hand, watching Ra's face flush red with indescribable rage.

With a yell, Ra's tried to rise only for Slade to drive him back with a swift punch. Pulling the sabre from the older man's grasp, Deathstroke threw it aside and reached for Ra's throat.

* * *

Raven wasn't naïve enough to think Slade had any other intention than to kill Ra's al Ghul, after all he had done to Joey, there was no way the one eyed mercenary planned to let him live. She had watched the fight with one eye, attending to Joey slowly, trying to find what part of him needed her attention most all while she tried to use the last of her energy most effectively, knowing it could be the difference between Joey's survival and death.

Now that the fight had reached its climax she couldn't help but pray for an intervention. She wanted Ra's to suffer, yes. But she didn't want him dead, at least not the part of her that made her Raven. Some small part of her soul may cry out for his blood, but that was neither here nor there. Ra's would pay for what he had done, by spending the reminder of his life behind bars, no doubt a man of his reputation had countless crimes to answer for and it would be the Justice League that would see to his imprisonment.

Right now, it looked like the only thing anyone would be imprisoning would be Ra's corpse.

When Slade threw the sword away, Raven looked wildly over to Robin who still hadn't stirred, and with no sign of the other Titan's she knew that only her intervention could prevent Ra's from being murdered right before her eyes.

Looking down on the still sickly Joey, she brushed a dirty blond curl away from his face, then undoing the clasp that held her clock on, she wrapped her friend in the purple cloth, hoping that it would at least keep him warm.

Then she rose on unsteady legs, and charged at Deathstroke, with no plan of attack in mind.

* * *

Squeezing hard, Slade watched as Ra's clawed at his gloved hand, trying to force the fingers from his throat. It was hopeless, if he wanted Deathstroke could have snapped his neck right here and now but such a quick death was not what he had in mind for the demon's head. He planned to make Ra's suffer, to tear him apart and utterly destroy him, so that not even the Lazarus pit could return him to life.

Loosening his iron grip, Ra's sucked in a lung full of air, only to receive a swift punch to the face. His already broken nose was reduced to a bloody mass of flesh as Slade struck again with perfect precision, then like a snake, Deathstroke's fingers once again began to squeeze the life from Ra's as the older man spluttered and gagged on his own blood.

"Slade!" The one eyed man didn't loosen his hold, but he did turn his head to face the interruption. Raven was only a few feet away, glaring at him whilst standing in a fighting stance, a poor one, but given her state of exhaustion such sloppiness was understandable. "Let him go." She ordered, her voice carrying a surprising amount of power and control for someone so drained.

"Return to Joey!"

"I am not yours to command." Raven yelled back. "Let him go." She repeated.

Releasing Ra's, Raven watched as the demon's head fell to the ground, clutching at his throat coughing loudly. Then she returned her attention back to Slade, the look he was giving her could have caused Trigon to shiver in fright. Pure murder glared at her, held back only because of her essential role as the saviour of his son.

"Return to Joey now," He threatened, "or I will turn my attention elsewhere."

Looking over her shoulder, Raven saw Robin and Joey both completely helpless and in need of her care but she still couldn't ignore what Slade was planning to do. Turning back to face the one eyed mercenary, she planted her feet defiantly.

Raven would spend the rest of her life wondering what would have happened after that bold action if not for the interruption. Would Slade have spared Ra's, instead forcing Raven to heal Joey as best as she could, would he have killed her for her interference once she had done all she could for his son?

Thankfully, such scenarios were confined only to her mind, as Slade's attention was forced elsewhere as Cyborg charged into the hanger.

* * *

Cyborg had hoped to arrive at a reunion of smiles and hugs, Raven and Robin would find Joey of that he was certain, and once Raven took a quick look at the unconscious Beast Boy, currently slung over his shoulder, they could call in Starfire, if she wasn't already present and wait for the cavalry to arrive. Then they would be on their way home. The six of them, together again once more.

Instead Cyborg found himself witness to a Mexican standoff, held between Slade and Raven.

Both turned at once at his arrival, but neither said anything, they didn't need to. Cyborg was smart enough to know thing were not going the way he had hoped for, and morphed his hand into its sonic cannon. Aiming the barrel of the weapon at Slade, he slowly walked over to Raven, never taking his eyes of the unmasked mercenary.

"Raven?" He asked, meeting the ice cold glare of Deathstroke with absolute calm.

"He's going to kill Ra's." Raven explained, it was here that Cyborg noticed the man at Slade's feet. His heart hardened at the reveal that this was the man who had put the team through hell and he had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from saying, "let him". Instead he asked about the welfare of his friends.

"How's Joey, where's Robin?"

"Both are out and Joey is hurt, badly." She didn't need to explain any further. Cyborg spared a quick glance to take in the sight of his two friends. "What happened to Beast Boy?" She then asked.

"Creepy lady got him like she got you and Rob back in Gotham. He's going to be fine though right?"

Raven didn't honestly know, she prayed he would be, if Beast Boy did slip into a critical condition she hadn't the strength left to save him.

While Slade and the Titan's faced off, Ra's had slowly been collecting himself. He wiped at the ruined mess that once had been his nose, and taking in slow but timed breaths, filling his lungs with air. His sabre was beyond his reach, and a single wrong action could unite his enemies against him. So he played possum, lying as still and quite as he could and waited for his foes to begin fighting amongst themselves. Then he would make his move, and deal them all a swift defeat.

"So what now?" Cyborg asked, trying to keep his voice in check as he stole a glance at Joey and Robin. "We all just stand here till our legs get tired?"

"We all want the same thing, but only Raven can make it happen." Slade stated, glaring at the empath.

Weighing up their limited options, Cyborg decided to take a gamble. "Raven, you take care of Beast Boy and Joey, I'll keep him in check." Only when Raven nodded did he pass her the limp form of Beast Boy, which she began to half drag, half carry over to the growing collection of her down and out friends.

In the meantime, he began reaching for his communicator with his free hand, keeping the action as slow and casual as he could, all while meeting the never blinking eye of Deathstroke.

"We don't have to fight." Cyborg said, hoping he could keep Slade focused on anything other than his creeping hand.

"Then just walk away." Slade replied bringing an armoured boot down on Ra's back pinning the squirming man in place. Gritting his teeth, Cyborg began charging up his weapon. Narrowing his eye, Deathstroke began to place pressure down on his prisoner's spine.

"Slade!" Cyborg warned, his fingers closing around his communicator.

"You do realise this is how it was always going to end. The fact is we were only helped each other to further our own goals. And now we are here are. I want to take Joey home with me and you want to do the same, and we both now that we would never come to a peaceful agreement. This was inevitable." Cyborg swallowed as he opened up the yellow disk, his thumb seeking the call button as Slade's words rung true. "Ra's doesn't mean anything in all of this. I was always going to kill him and you always knew that I would. We would fight, and one of us would get what we want, while the other goes home empty handed. We were never going to agree on this." He pushed down once more on Ra's back, causing a scream of pain to echo around the ruined hanger. "But I will be sure to tell Joey how you all stood up for his kidnapper who tortured him and who knows what else. I'm sure he will be touched." Slade's eye narrowed in hate.

"That's not fair! I want to see him suffer Slade, we all do." Cyborg yelled his cannon moving towards Ra's then back onto Deathstroke. "But I can't let you kill him like this. It's not who I am."

"And I'm done talking about this. So why don't you call Starfire and we can get this over with?"

Gritting his teeth, Cyborg braced for himself for all hell that was to follow. His thumb hit the call button the instant his sonic cannon fired.

* * *

Starfire was angry. She had been so certain that the fleeing helicopter contained both Joey and his captor that the possibility of it being anything else never occurred to her. So when she had forced the vehicle to land, with a quick star bolt to its main rotor, she had expected this quest to be at an end.

Instead she found a giggling pilot, who found the look of shock on her face to be hilarious. He had told her everything, quite willingly, believing his master to be far out of the Titan's reach.

Throwing the pilot into the snow, Starfire was at a complete loss as what to do, how could she tell her friends she had been tricked, that once again Joey had been taken from them all? How long could Ra's al Ghul keep running?

Ignoring the still giggling pilot, Starfire looked towards the empty grey sky's wondering where Joey was now. And then her communicator began to ring. She didn't open it. Her friends would be telling her the bad news, that they had discovered that they had been tricked, their faces filled with hope that she had managed to stop Ra's and save Joey.

How could she tell them that she had fallen for a bait and switch tactic? That Joey had once again slipped through their fingers? The ringing continued, and for a few more seconds Starfire refused to answer, staring silently at the yellow device as it continued to beep at her.

"I am so sorry Joey." She whispered to the wind, before flipping the communicator open.

Instead of the faces of her friends, Starfire saw a unfocused mess. It reminded her of the time Beast Boy had tried to answer his communicator while transforming into a bird, resulting in the device falling through the air. But in this case there was no rush of wind to accompany the wild and unfocused image, but the familiar sound of a sonic cannon being fired rapidly.

"Star!" Cyborg yelled at the top of his lungs, although he was still not present on the screen.

"C- Cyborg, what is happening?"

"Slade!" The half machine teenager screamed as he fired his weapon once more. With no need for any further explanations, Starfire leapt into the air, blazing towards Ra's castle. She knew Deathstroke would turn on them, and while she had failed to secure Joey, Slade's betrayal would allow her to vent some much pent up anger.

* * *

Slade wished that things could have been different between him and his children. At the time he hadn't thought so, he had been thinking about himself, his needs took priority and simply seeing his children alive and well made him believe that he had accomplished more than his own father ever had.

Now looking back at his failed time as a father and husband he realised that while he was still the better parent, it was a hollow victory. How often had his children been hurt because of him, how many of those injuries could have been avoided if he had simply done what he had promised Adeline all those years ago and retired from fighting?

No more being a soldier, no more killing.

But he was a killer, he was the most feared assassin on the planet, and he loved it. He was the best, he was Deathstroke the terminator. And with that reputation had came misery and ruin.

Right now his son needed help, and like always Slade wasn't able to give it to him. Raven could, she had the power to protect and heal, all he could do was fight, fight for his own selfish wants and desires. And what he wanted now was for Joey to live and for his son to come back home with him.

Cyborg wasn't at full strength when he first pulled the trigger, his armour plating had dents in it, the soft flesh of his arms had bloody cuts on them, and the way he moved showing that he was not operating at full power.

Kicking him aside, Slade glanced in Raven's direction. She was busy with Joey, her glowing hands once more attending to his son's health, but the dirty look she was giving him told him plenty. Her love for Joey and the serious condition he was in were the only things preventing her from jumping in and assisting Cyborg, and even then, how long would she stay out of this?

He doubted she would sit still if he hurt Cyborg in any serious way.

Jumping to his left, Slade avoided the charging Titan, reminding the white haired mercenary that Victor Stone was resilient. Following through with his failed attack, Cyborg threw several quick punches, all of which Deathstroke ducked and weaved under, before throwing catching the Titan under the chin with his own punch, sending his enemy flying back.

"I suggest you stay down." Slade advised as he watched one of Cyborg's arms start to bleed. The wound must have been reopened, the dried blood no longer able to stop the fresh flow that had been brought about by the active movement of combat.

But Cyborg was too stubborn to let his injuries stop him. Once more he came at Slade, trying to predict how the one eyed mercenary would react. But Slade didn't dodge the right hook sent his way, instead he wrapped his own arm around Cyborg's then with a twist of his hips he had thrown the man to the ground, using the hero's own momentum against him.

Reaching for his holster, Slade drew a volt gun and set it on a lower setting, aiming only to stun Cyborg rather than kill. But before he had even managed to level the weapon at his rising opponent, an orange streak tackled him into the ground, hard.

Starfire didn't let Slade recover, in less than a second her hands latched onto him in a grip of iron then she rose and threw him across the hanger. Hitting the wall, Deathstroke let out a groan as he was certain something was broken, although he wasn't sure what. Right now everything was hurting.

"Cyborg! I shall handle this." Starfire declared as she powered up twin star bolts around her fists.

"I'm not sitting this one out, we've already got half the team on the bench and I am not about to join them."

"Together then?"

"You got it." Cyborg smirked, charging up his sonic cannon as he moved to stand beside his friend.

Pulling his power staff from his back, Slade gave it a twirl, pleased to find that his body responded perfectly. Starfire had got the first hit in but he was far from done.

"Ready when you are." He said with a small smile as the two teen's charged at him firing as they came. Twirling his staff in front of him, Deathstroke rushed to meet them.

* * *

Ra's moved like a snake slow, silent and invisible. Right now all focus was on the three combatants who were quite busy tearing apart what remained of his once hidden hanger as well as each other. But that suited Ra's quite fine, let them, should his luck take a sudden turn, who knows, they might be in such a state that he could finish them all off.

Sabre in hand, Ra's moved towards the empath, who was torn between helping Joey and watching the ever furious fight going on only a few meter's away. She could feel their pain and she longed to jump in and end it, but right now she had another commitment. All of this confusion and chaos left her quite blind to the silent approach of the demon's head. He would kill her first, then the Detective's protégée, the green one would follow, although Ra's had no personal grudge against him, he was merely an afterthought before the grand finale. Joey Wilson.

The Titan's collective deaths would strike such a blow across the super hero community that it would never recover. The Justice League, the Doom Patrol, The Titan's east, even the Justice Society of America, all would take the loss personally, grief and rage would weaken them, divide them. In a single act of vengeance Ra's al Ghul could change the world forever.

He was so close now, only a few short meter's between him and the empath, her back towards him. Ra's could imagine the sound she would make when he drove his sword through her; it was a sound he had heard many times in his life time. Always the same, a gasp of surprise and recognition, and then a weak, almost inaudible, whimper followed by silence.

Taking a slow step forward, Ra's didn't make a sound as he began to close the distance between them.

* * *

If there was one bright spot amongst all the challenges that today had presented it was this, Joey was getting better. He wasn't out of danger yet, far from it, but his skin had started to return to a healthy shade his breathing was almost normal, his heart rate strong. This is what Slade had wanted from her, to see his son looking well, but in reality Joey still had a long road before a complete recovery.

He was still exhausted, both mentally and physically, the injuries his body had taken while under Ra's control still remained, but for now at least Joey wasn't going to be snatched away from them. Removing her hands and laying them on her lap, Raven let out a huff as she took it all in.

Beast Boy was still unconscious but just like herself and the boy wonder's encounter with Shiva in Gotham there would be no lasting damage. Robin would need to be checked out the moment the Titan's east arrived but she was confident that he would pull through without so much as a scratch to show for it all. As for herself, Raven would be self-subscribing a week's worth of bed rest with plenty of herbal tea.

She wanted to stop the fighting, but right now she didn't know how. Slade wanted Joey, and from the way he had spoken he also wanted to fight. To vent all of his feelings through his fists than deal with them like a normal person. Then there was his desire to kill Ra's…

Looking around the ruined hanger, Raven quickly realised the serpent who had brought them all into this had vanished. It wasn't her empathy that saved her, right now she was too drained to so much as think about opening herself up to the world around her, no it was a sixth sense born from her years of being a superhero.

Throwing herself to one side in a clumsy roll, Raven heard a hiss of rage. Forcing her tired limbs to cooperate, she turned to face the source of the sound. A snarling Ra's glared at her as he raised his sword above his head.

* * *

Cyborg, Starfire and Slade all froze at the scream. It was a mess of words, as Raven herself didn't know what she managed to produce but it caught their attention which in the end had been her objective. Five eyes quickly locked onto Ra's al Ghul as he prepared to cleave the empath in two.

The three reacted immediately, Cyborg turned his sonic cannon away from Deathstroke, his cybernetic eye, targeting Ra's sword hand, in half a second his weapon was primed and ready to fire.

Starfire flew right at him intending to tackle the human that dared to try and harm her friends in front of her.

As for Slade, he drew his remaining volt gun and cranked its power setting to the highest level. Squeezing the trigger, he watched the energy bolt fly straight towards Ra's chest.

A hole the size of a large penny tore straight through Ra's al Ghul, in some case's people are shot and they never feel a thing, they simply collapse in confusion, never knowing what hit them. This was not one of those times. Ra's entire body burned as the bolt hit it, and while he and it were in contact for less than a second before it had burned right through him and travelled on, the pain overwhelmed him, screaming to high heaven his entire body left his control.

His sabre slipped from his fingers as his knee's gave out bringing the mad man down. As he fell all he did was scream, it was a haunting sound that stayed with all those who heard it for the rest of their life. Ra's was in agony and he continued to scream and twitch violently even after he fell flat on his face.

While Raven, Starfire and Cyborg looked on in horror, Slade felt a twinge of satisfaction, not the way he planned to end Ra's but he was certainly suffering, which was good enough for the one eyed mercenary. With no energy left to help him, all Raven could do is silently watch as Ra's spent the last few moments of his life in utter agony, all as she held onto Cyborg's cold metallic hands as he tried to get her to look away.

As if that would silence his cries of pain.

But soon enough the ruined hanger was silent as Ra's al Ghul died. It wasn't the first time, but Slade certainly hoped that was his most painful trip into the afterlife, now he simply had to make sure that the Ra's loyal followers didn't try to bring him back.

"What the hell was that?" Cyborg whispered, looking at Slade in horror, Starfire wasn't so shocked, seeing similar displays of pain back on her home world, but she wasn't giving Deathstroke a friendly smile either.

Slipping his volt gun back into its holster, Slade eyed each of the remaining Titans. "Payback."

Any further questions were silence by the sound of approaching engines. The Titan's east had arrived. Clenching his gloved fist, Slade's brain moved a mile a minute, taking in all the facts and processing them as quickly as possible.

He wasn't going to be able to fight his way out of this, not unless he was willing to use lethal force against the heroes, which would destroy anything his son still felt for him. Joey loved his friends far greater than he did his father, something Deathstroke found quite easy to accept. And as selfish as he was, Slade knew that hurting his son that way, just to keep him for himself, was a sure way to destroy Joey.

He couldn't do that to him. Not after Grant.

Eyeing the Titan's he realised that amongst his hate for them, there was something else. What it was he wasn't sure. Perhaps it was gratitude for all they had done for Joey. Perhaps not.

He didn't know, and he certainly didn't have the time to figure it out.

"The Titan's east are here." Cyborg said with as close to a smile as he could get to under the circumstances. The engines were like roaring giants now, shaking the room and everything in it.

He didn't have long.

Reaching for his belt, Slade plucked a single smoke disk free, and hid it in his hand. Starfire was watching him, waiting for him to make a move, but she was tired, they all were. Tired of the fighting, the hunting and the pain, she would wait for him to give her just cause to continue it all. Right now she just wanted to go home.

"Well Titan's I must say this has been quite the adventure." Slade smirked, pretending that he wasn't affected by this ordeal. "I'm sure none of us will be forgetting it anytime soon."

"You're really doing this? Really?" Cyborg asked in disbelief, buying the performance.

"Leave Slade or we shall be taking you back with us." Starfire threatened, her emerald eyes narrowing.

"Yes it is time I got going but first, a souvenir." Throwing the disk against the ground, the ruined hanger was filled with thick smoke. Moving as fast as he could, Slade raced towards his target. As the Titan's began yelling and coordinating with each other, the one eyed mercenary had slung his prize over his shoulder, and began running for the tunnel that Ra's had intended to escape down.

By the time the smoke cleared Raven, Cyborg and Starfire found themselves rid of the man that would haunt their nightmares until their dying day. They also quickly discovered that the body of Ra's al Ghul's was gone.

* * *

 **Epilogue**

 **Titans tower – two weeks later.**

* * *

Joey dabbed at the canvas gently adding traces of orange to the picture. He had been working on his sunset painting for three days now, and while Cyborg had kindly offered to get take a high resolution holo recording of the sunset, saving him from waiting for the next sinking sun display, Joey had declined, preferring to take his inspiration from the real thing.

Right now the sun was almost touching the horizon, painting the sky in a wonderful mix of pinks, oranges, and deep blues.

The other Titans were giving him his space, something he appreciated beyond words but that didn't mean they were ignoring him. Each had been trying to get him to open up about what happened during his time as Ra's 'guest'.

He had lied naturally. Sticking to a simpler version of the events. He left out the long hours of body jumping he was forced to do, the mental torture Ra's had inflicted upon him as a means to motivate him, the hostages, the sick feeling in his stomach when he remembered the man who had died during his test, the man whose name he never learnt.

He was fine, he said. And as far as he could tell none of them believed him.

It was foolish to think that he could keep avoiding it, eventually, sooner or later he would have to let it all out. He suspected that Robin already knew some of the darker details, since Talia's capture he had taken several visits to see her. Each time he returned he was grim and silent, locking himself in his study for long hours and only emerging for meals.

Rather than pester the blond Titan for details, Robin was his constant supporter, telling the others repeatedly that they were to give him some time. "He'll tell us when he's ready."

But he wasn't sure when he would be ready. He was happy pretending it never happened. He would paint, play his music, watch a bad movie with Beast Boy, eat pizza and never once did he drop a hint about how he was really feeling. Nights were the hardest. He couldn't sleep properly, he always felt as if he was being watched, like a pair of eyes were always on him no matter where he went.

Dipping only the tip of a brush into a bright pink, he began adding more colour to his work, leaving the blue's and greys for a moment. He still had a good twenty minutes before the sun would be swallowed by the horizon, and there was always tomorrow. Joey was in no rush.

A soft knock on the roof door caused him to turn his head slightly, irritation surged through him at the interruption, and then it was gone. They had every right to come and talk to him. Carefully laying down his brush, he turned to face his visitor.

Hood pulled down, Raven looked first at him, then at his work, before finally watching the setting sun itself. "Hey." She said not moving from the now open doorway.

It was a question more than a greeting, and while Joey would have liked nothing better than to dismiss Raven, and return to his painting, pretending everything was as it used to be, he knew that he couldn't. Not to her.

With a smile he answered her question and turned back to his canvas. Raven approached slowly, examining his latest work. If she hopped to find any insight into his current mental state she would be disappointed, Joey had painted a sunset, nothing more.

"I was wondering if I could speak to you." She said, picking up a lawn chair, bringing it over to where Joey sat. "About your father."

This caught Joey by surprise. When he had awoken aboard the Doom Patrol's ship he had been told very little outside of his condition and that he needed rest. But he had heard it, the whisper of his father's name. Later on when he had recovered, he had heard it again but so far the most he had gotten from his friends was that Deathstroke had been present during the Titan's siege on Ra's final fortress. Nothing more.

Now that Raven was bringing him up, Joey felt it was the time for answers.

He didn't rush her; she sat on the edge of the lawn chair, folding her cloak behind her.

"Your father," she avoided using either of the names the Titans knew him by. "joined up with us in an attempt to rescue you. We were desperate." She said as a means of explanation for the act.

 **"Did you trust him?"** Joey asked already knowing the answer; Raven confirmed it with a shake of her head.

"No, but we needed help and we knew he would look for you, rather than keep fighting him we set up a temporary alliance. Very temporary." She muttered, remembering how Slade had held a gun to Robin head the moment he didn't get his way.

 **"What happened to him?"**

"I don't know. Things got complicated; we all wanted you safe but Slade." She took a breath. "Slade wanted to take you back with him, we weren't about to let that happen and…" Joey drove a closed hand against an open palm. Raven nodded. "Yeah. We fought but then Ra's tried to kill you and probably would have gone for Robin and Beast Boy if he a chance." She didn't add her own name to Ra's hit list, not wanting to change the focus of the conversation.

Joey's face lost some colour. He had seen the state his friends were in when he had woken up, but to imagine what they had been through because of him and a night-time stroll made him feel sick. Guilt would fester within him for some time.

"Your father then killed Ra's. Took his body and left you with us."

 **"Did he say anything about me?"** Joey asked, Raven once again shook her head. The blond Titan turned to stare at his canvas, picking up one of his brushes he played with it silently for a few seconds.

"I know you and him have a history that I can't even begin to imagine." Joey smiled at that, but it wasn't the happy kind. "You know as well as anyone what he is capable of, and what he is willing to do."

Joey stopped playing with the brush, holding it steady in one hand, refusing to meet Raven's eyes.

"But, I think I should tell you this about him. He loves you."

Surprised at what had just been said, Joey felt the brush slip through his fingers and clatter to the floor.

"It's true." Raven said with a shrug, feeling an ugly emotion rise up within her. "When you were gone I could read him. He was a mess of fear, anger and love and it was all because of you. He cares about you, and not as a possession. He really does love you. "

The ugly emotion grew within her, Raven realised she would need to make this quick. "He's no different from who he always has been, but I thought you should know that."

Standing up, Raven pulled her cloak around her, shutting herself off from Joey. Without a goodbye she moved towards the door, planning on heading straight to her room for a long mediation session, before she made it she felt a soft hand land upon her shoulder.

She stopped and turned to face Joey. Gently pulling her forward, the blond Titan gave the empath a hug. It didn't last long, knowing Raven wasn't found of being touched. But before she left he had one last thing to say to her.

 **"Thank you."**

Watching her go, Joey returned to his painting, staring at the canvas for a second, lost as to what he should do next.

* * *

Slade sat in his old chair, staring out at the ruins of his hideout. It was hard not to feel nostalgic but right now the past had very little to offer him, the future is what he had to focus on right now. And he would, he would leave this city and the Titans in peace, he would go away, find a few jobs that would put him back in the good graces of certain powerful people. Having an upcoming presidential candidate owe you a favour was a wonderful insurance.

He waited patiently, news may travel fast but Plasmus was always slow, the living sludge monster created mass hysteria wherever he went on the surface, and travelling through the sewers and underground offered many a temptation for him. But Slade was willing to forgive him on this occasion.

Looking down at the metallic coffin lying a few feet away, Slade wished that had acquired some of the Lazarus pits waters. But the Doom Patrol had quickly locked Ra's home down and with the Titan's east already on the scene along with a still combat ready Starfire he had known not to push his luck.

A shame but he would settle on this.

It was the smell that alerted him first to the arrival of his guest. Like a sewer, a chemical plant and a dump all rolled into one, soon the nine foot living sludge monster came into view, slowly making his way towards Slade, his large green eyes alert for any sign of hidden enemies. Things had not been going well for Plasmus recently.

"Thank you for coming." Slade said, rising from his chair. The action caused Plasmus to come to a halt wearily looking at the mercenary. "I won't waste our time reminding you just how many a favour you own me Plasmus. I think we both know how many times I had to organise your escapes from prison and S.T.A.R labs, and I'm quite sure you know how many times you've failed me."

Slade's eye narrowed at that, causing the slime monster to shift uncomfortably.

"But that is all in the past. I won't be coming back to this old town for quite some time but I thought you would like the opportunity to clear up your debts before I went." Plasmus nodded slowly, unsure what it was Slade had in mind. "Good. It's quite simple really," he moved over to the metal coffin, with a nudge of his foot the lid slid free, revealing the still body of a man Plasmus had never seen before. "I want you to erase this man from existence, complete cellular destruction nothing is to remain, do you understand that?"

For a moment the living slime creature was silent, unsure if it was a trick. Such a task was so simple; his very touch burned the flesh of almost anyone. His large green eyes wandered for a moment, taking in the ruined lair once again, perhaps this was a test of some kind.

"Well?" Deathstroke's cold voice brought Plasmus out of his dilemma, stomping towards the coffin; he quickly picked up the still body of the man inside and began to pull him into his slimy chest.

Instantly the smell of burning flesh filled the lair, as Ra's al Ghul's body was quickly eaten by the foul chemical mix that was Plasmus's body.

"Nothing can remain." Slade reminded the living slime monster, watching as Ra's slowly disappeared inside of Plasmus. "No bones, no tissue, nothing."

And then he left, leaving the slime monster to do as he wished. In an hour he would be on a plane bound for Metropolis. Luthor had a job waiting for him, and baldy was never cheap when it came to a good service. For example, Lex could get him special access to the holding cells of Ra's remaining servants, including Talia al Ghul.

Joey would never need fear a repeat visit from the League of Assassin's.

He would be able to carry on with his life, playing hero with his friends. Yes, Joey would be in danger again and he would be hurt again, this is the life he had chosen, and as much as Slade wished he could change it, his son's path was his own. But he wouldn't have to face those dangers alone, the Titans would always be there for him.

And from a distance so would he. It wasn't perfect but it was the best he could ask for.

It was good enough.

* * *

 **A/N: In case anyone was wondering I always though Raven would be a little jealous of Slade and Joey's relationship. As messed up as it is Slade does love his son and would never use/abuse him as Trigon would her.**

 **Thank you all for reading, if you have any constructive criticism or helpful suggestions please share them with me so that I can improve my writing. A review would also be nice as I genuinely want feedback. Thanks for sticking through this with me it has been quite the experience. I would also like to thank every single person that reviewed, you really helped keep me going through this and I appreciate every**

 **Special thanks goes to Featheredmoonwings who was a constant support. Thanks for all the feedback, support and inspiration to keep me on track, without you this would probably never have been finished.**


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